A Democratic activist has filed ethics complaints against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh at the federal circuit court where he currently sits, accusing him of perjury and engaging in conduct unbecoming of a judge during his Supreme Court confirmation battle.
Scott Dworkin, co-founder of The Democratic Coalition, filed the complaints last month.
In one, he says the judge was wrong to label sexual assault allegations against him “smears,” and to sit for a television interview in an attempt to undercut some of the women who have made the as-yet uncorroborated accusations against him.
“By appearing on Fox News, a partisan outlet, Kavanaugh engaged in extrajudicial activities that reflect adversely on his impartiality,” the complaint said.
Mr. Dworkin’s other complaint says Judge Kavanaugh committed perjury by denying that he had received stolen Democratic documents from a GOP operative while working in President George W. Bush’s White House.
Democrats have argued Judge Kavanaugh received emails and memos purloined from Senate Democrats’ computers early in the last decade, and they say he should have known he was looking at stolen material. The GOP operative involved in “Memogate,” as it became known on Capitol Hill, denies the memos were stolen and says no matter what their origin, Judge Kavanaugh wouldn’t have had reason to know exactly what he was looking at.
Judge Kavanaugh has also testified he didn’t know the origin of the information.
Democrats have said that explanation rings hollow, and Mr. Dworkin says it amounts to lying to Congress.
“He is unfit to serve as a judge by reason of his corrupt, unscrupulous, dishonest and criminal conduct,” the complaint reads.
Both complaints ask for a committee of judges to be appointed in order to investigate the charges and to then recommend Judge Kavanaugh’s impeachment.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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