Two ex-girlfriends of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh defended his character on Monday amid an allegation that he committed sexual assault when he was in high school.
"He was nothing but kind and polite and respectful," Maura Fitzgerald said. Fitzgerald dated Kavanaugh in college and was friends with him throughout high school. "I had known him since high school. I dated him briefly in college. We have remained close friends ever since. I cherish his friendship. He has just been such a stand-up guy, full of integrity. I admire him. He ... treated no one with disrespect."
Fitzgerald and Maura Kane, who both dated Kavanaugh, released statements and spoke during an interview Monday in support of him after a woman named Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were in high school. Ford told the Washington Post that Kavanaugh, then a junior in high school, attacked her when they were at a party in Maryland in the early 1980s. She alleged Kavanaugh forced her onto a bed, groped her, and tried to remove her clothes while he was heavily intoxicated, all while his friend Mark Judge watched. She said she managed to escape after Judge jumped on them, sending them tumbling and giving her an opportunity to get out of the room.
Kane and Fitzgerald appeared on Fox News Monday night to share their experiences with Kavanaugh. Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum asked Fitzgerald if Kavanaugh was someone who drank heavily and could have blacked out and not remember the allegation against him.
"One of the questions is going to go to whether or not he was someone who drank heavily in high school and could have potentially blacked out this entire experience. Maura Fitzgerald, is that a possibility?" MacCallum asked.
"No. In all of the times, all the years that I have known Brett, even if we had a beer, he was always in complete control," Fitzgerald said. "And he was actually one of the guys that if we were at a social gathering, he'd be the guy to look out for other people. He was always in control."
"We did drink beer in high school ... It was legal. So, we did drink beer. I never saw him out-of-control drunk. He always retained his composure. He was a responsible guy," Kane said. "He was someone who did have a beer, but he was never out of control. He never became someone different after drinking."
MacCallum asked the two women if they new Ford. Fitzgerald said she did not know her personally and that the name wasn't familiar to her. Kane said she did know of the woman during high school but not well.
"Yes, I did know who she was. I had seen her at parties. She went to a different school, but I knew who she was. But I did not know her well. We were not friends, I just knew who she was," Kane said.
Kavanaugh has denied the allegation and released a second statement on Monday where he said he is willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee again. A hearing is scheduled before the committee on Monday. Kavanaugh and Ford are expected to testify.
When asked about the allegation, both Kane and Fitzgerald said they were shocked to hear about it.
"I was absolutely shocked. I just couldn't believe it. It's just so polar opposite of the Brett Kavanaugh that I have known for over 35 years," Fitzgerald said. "I was confused, surprised, shocked, and I still can't believe it."
"I couldn't believe these allegations had come out when I had been at the hearing for a couple of days and we just watched woman after woman come forward praising Brett and his respect for women and his professionalism and his kindness towards them, and this at the last minute came out. I was equally shocked," Kane said.
Ford, a registered Democrat, is being represented by Washington attorney Debra Katz, known for her work with #MeToo accusers, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Katz is a committed "Resistance" member opposed to the Trump administration, she told the University of Wisconsin Law School alumni magazine.