A New York Times Magazine staff writer who co-bylined an article about Brett Kavanaugh being involved in a 1985 bar fight tweeted scathingly about Kavanaugh the night President Donald Trump nominated him for the Supreme Court.
Emily Bazelon co-wrote a New York Times piece published Tuesday about him being questioned by New Haven police during his junior year. He was not arrested after being accused of throwing ice at someone "for some unknown reason," according to a police report.
Bazelon, a Yale Law School graduate and lecturer, wrote on July 9 that she wanted to "strongly disassociate" herself from praise of Kavanaugh and fretted he would be the fifth vote in a "hard-right turn" that would harm democracy.
"As a @YaleLawSch grad & lecturer, I strongly disassociate myself from tonight’s praise of Brett Kavanaugh," she tweeted that night. "With respect, he’s a 5th vote for a hard-right turn on voting rights and so much more that will harm the democratic process & prevent a more equal society."
She added in a follow-up tweet: "Those are fundamental values we try to instill in our students. They matter more than collegiality and credentials."
https://twitter.com/emilybazelon/status/1016526195826024448
https://twitter.com/emilybazelon/status/1016526199949004800
While Bazelon and Ben Protess wrote Kavanaugh was "not arrested," she speculated on Twitter Monday night that there was "no report of an arrest" and it "could have been expunged."
https://twitter.com/emilybazelon/status/1046900555543732224
The New York Times gave a statement to reporter Yashar Ali explaining Bazelon is "not a news reporter" and sometimes writes op-eds for the opinion section. The paper said, in retrospect, it should have assigned a newsroom reporter to the story but said it stood behind its veracity.
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1047173400161017856
Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) slammed the New York Times in a tweet, saying it wasn't even "trying to hide anymore its membership in media wing of Democratic Party."
.@nytimes not even trying to hide anymore its membership in media wing of Democratic Party, allows 'reporter" @emilybazelon to write about Judge Kavanaugh even though she announced her opposition to him in July on ideological grounds. Total disgrace. https://t.co/iuculCCuKI
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) October 2, 2018
Kavanaugh, who has denied allegations of committing sexual misconduct while heavily intoxicated, has seen his past drinking habits come under the microscope in the past week. While Kavanaugh said he enjoyed beer in high school and college and sometimes drank to excess, he testified he never blacked out.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.) said Kavanaugh's nomination would be "over" if it was proven he lied during his testimony before the Judiciary Committee.
Classmates and friends have offered conflicting reports about the extent of his drinking habits and whether his demeanor was aggressive while drinking in the 1980s.
Christine Blasey Ford testified last week Kavanaugh was drunk when he sexually assaulted her at a house party in the early 1980s, although some of her details about the event itself have varied over time and she has no corroborating witnesses. She said she was "100 percent" sure Kavanaugh did it, while Kavanaugh swore he has "never sexually assaulted anyone."
UPDATE: 2:03 P.M.: This article was updated with a statement by the New York Times.