NBC panelists said Monday that attorney Michael Avenatti is "begging for TV cameras" and his client Julie Swetnick, who accuses Brett Kavanaugh of participating in parties where "gang rapes" occurred, "has some real credibility problems."
As "Today" host Megyn Kelly pointed out, Swetnick's problematic past has come out in recent days since she accused Kavanaugh, while he was in high school, of participating in gang rape parties, groping girls, and spiking drinks with alcohol and drugs. Kavanaugh denies these allegations, as well as allegations made against him by Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez.
"She [Swetnick] faced allegations of her own misconduct during a stint at a company 18 years ago," Kelly told her panel, referencing reports that emerged over the weekend.
"[A former employer said] she engaged in unwelcome sexually offensive conduct herself ... she made false and retaliatory allegations against her coworkers ... she took medical leave and simultaneously received unemployment benefits," Kelly continued.
According to the reports Kelly referenced, Swetnick also claimed to have attended Johns Hopkins University, but the former employer found no record of her having attended the school.
Avenatti has complained his client has not been questioned by the FBI about her claims. The FBI reopened its background investigation into Kavanaugh and the accusations Ford made against him at the request of President Donald Trump, who was asked by the Senate Judiciary Committee to do so on Friday. The investigation is limited in scope and expected to wrap up within seven days from when it was ordered.
Though Avenatti has asked "[Swetnick's] privacy and that of her family be respected," he has also been a frequent guest on news programs to talk about his clients.
The NBC panel on Monday was not surprised by Avenatti's "begging" for the FBI to investigate his client's claims.
"It is outrageous that my client has not been contacted by the FBI because Trump is instructing them not to," Avenatti tweeted on Monday. "He is trying to ram through a nomination by purposely preventing the truth from being known. This is a threat to our very democracy."
Please read the below. It is outrageous that my client has not been contacted by the FBI because Trump is instructing them not to. He is trying to ram through a nomination by purposely preventing the truth from being known. This is a threat to our very democracy. #Sham #Basta pic.twitter.com/lnjQ8ZZ1vE
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) October 1, 2018
"She may not like the FBI looking more closely," said Amy Holmes, co-host of PBS' "In Principle."
NBC legal analyst Dan Goldman added, "She has some real credibility problems."
"He's been begging for TV cameras," Holmes said of Avenatti.
Avenatti has floated the idea of running for president as a Democrat in 2020 and said on Sunday that he has gotten support and enthusiasm from Democrats to do so.
"I've received a lot of encouragement from the Democratic National Committee and senior leadership within the committee, frankly, to run," he told MSNBC host Kasie Hunt.
During a press conference held in the wake of a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico, Trump said he heard Swetnick had "credibility problems" and that she should only be questioned by the FBI if she is credible.
Trump, who has stood by Kavanaugh, criticized Avenatti last week as a "third rate lawyer" and a "total low-life" who he says has made false accusations against him and his Supreme Court nominee.
"Avenatti is a third rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations, like he did on me and like he is now doing on Judge Brett Kavanaugh," Trump tweeted last week after Swetnick's accusations came out in The New Yorker. "He is just looking for attention and doesn’t want people to look at his past record and relationships - a total low-life!"
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1044991766309621760