New York Times clarifies article detailing new Kavanaugh allegations

The New York Times posted a clarification to an explosive story over the weekend on new allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh clarifying that an unnamed accuser declined to be interviewed and couldn’t recall the incident in question.

The paper reported over the weekend on an incident in which friends of Justice Kavanaugh allegedly pushed his penis into the hand of a female student, saying that the incident “echoes” allegations from Deborah Ramirez, another former classmate.

On Sunday, the following editor’s note was added to the end of the story:

“An earlier version of this article, which was adapted from a forthcoming book, did not include one element of the book’s account regarding an assertion by a Yale classmate that friends of Brett Kavanaugh pushed his penis into the hand of a female student at a drunken dorm party. The book reports that the female student declined to be interviewed and friends say that she does not recall the incident. That information has been added to the article.”

The story said Max Stier, another classmate, saw Justice Kavanaugh with his pants down at a dorm party, where friends pushed his pens into the hand of a female student. Mr. Stier had notified senators and the FBI about the account, but the FBI didn’t investigate, according to the story.

Justice Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied claims of sexual misconduct from Ms. Ramirez and Christine Blasey Ford. Those claims played a central role in his confirmation battle last year.

During his Senate testimony last year, Mr. Kavanaugh said it would have been the talk of campus if what Ms. Ramirez alleged had actually occurred.

Ms. Ramirez’s allegations had been previously reported, but the story said the FBI didn’t interview any of the more than 20 individuals who might have had corroborating evidence that her legal team provided.

Some Democrats had called for Justice Kavanaugh to be impeached after the article was published.