NBC "Nightly News" anchor Kate Snow said Tuesday that Brett Kavanaugh’s third accuser has credibility issues but also said changes to her story show she’s human.
Snow pointed out that Julie Swetnick, who accuses Kavanaugh of involvement in high school parties where "gang rapes" occurred, has changed her story since she made a sworn statement last week. Snow, who interviewed Swetnick on Monday, also said her memory seems hazy and she seems unsure about her own story. She said there is nevertheless reason to think Swetnick could be telling the truth.
"How did she explain the differences between what she said to you and the claims that she made in that sworn statement?" MSNBC host Craig Melvin asked.
"I think she would say she's just being more descriptive now," Snow answered.
Swetnick’s original statement was that Kavanaugh was responsible for spiking punch and giving women quaaludes so that they could be more easily assaulted, but she reversed her position in the interview with Snow. Kavanaugh has denied this accusation entirely. Swetnick made her statement in cooperation with her attorney Michael Avenatti, a potential Democratic 2020 presidential candidate who also represents adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Snow pointed out that Swetnick is no longer saying Kavanaugh "spiked the punch."
"[Swetnick] said, ‘Well, I saw them around the punch bowl.’ And I asked her directly, ‘Did you see Brett Kavanaugh spike the punch and try to get girls, you know, drunk or put quaaludes in the punch?’" Snow said. "And she said, ‘No, I never saw that.’"
"I think part of it is she's telling her story. She's sitting and describing it in the way you and I are talking right now, and human beings always tell stories a couple different ways," Snow added.
Snow also described other ways in which Swetnick’s story changed from her initial statement. In the new interview, she didn’t use the term "gang rape," which unsurprisingly was the key term used in reports about her allegation.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said Democrats are using these allegations to "move the goalposts" and delay or obstruct Kavanaugh's confirmation.