Brett Kavanaugh denies a Newport, Rhode Island allegation that was recanted.
A Twitter account using the name Jeffrey Catalan has issued a recantation after a Senate transcript of an interview with Brett Kavanaugh indicated that the person with the Catalan Twitter account made one of the new accusations against Kavanaugh that were widely reported by major news outlets on September 26, 2018.
“Do everyone who is going crazy about what I had said I have recanted because I have made a mistake and apologize for such mistake,” the Catalan page tweeted on the evening of September 26, 2018 after news broke that Kavanaugh was asked about a Newport, Rhode Island assault allegation from a Twitter user whose details match the Jeffrey Catalan account, including the verbatim wording of tweets in Senate Judiciary Committee interview transcripts. Here’s the recanting tweet:
The tweet on the Jeffrey Catalan page.
The Senate Judiciary Committee redacted Catalan’s name and Twitter handle in the publicly released transcripts of its interviews with Kavanaugh. However, the transcripts that detail his accusation to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) contain verbatim quotes of tweets that still appeared on Catalan’s page as of September 26. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has now referred the claim to the FBI for a criminal investigation into false statements.
The Catalan Twitter page is filled with rants against President Donald Trump and rambling comments. For example, on September 24, he tweeted: “I get the feeling that the Republicans want The days of gold The days of old The days of 49 That is 1849.”
The Newport, RI claim was one of two new accusations to generate news attention involving the Supreme Court nominee on the eve before he and his first named accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, are set to testify about Ford’s account that Kavanaugh groped her without her consent in the 1980s. He denies all of the allegations. They include two other publicly named accusers: Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick. The Catalan accusation was described by some news outlets as a fifth allegation that Kavanaugh was asked about during the interviews.
The Rhode Island accusation quickly received prominent news coverage. For example, The Hill ran a story that started, “Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was questioned during a phone call with Judiciary Committee staff about an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in Rhode Island in the mid-1980s.”
CNN carried a news story on its home page that started, “Republican investigators for the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday asked Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about two new allegations against him, according to a transcript of a conference call released by the committee” and then contained this paragraph, “Kavanaugh then was asked about, and categorically denied, an allegation made by a Rhode Island man — whose name was redacted from the transcript — raised in a call to Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s office ‘concerning a rape on a boat in August of 1985.'” CNN’s headline said, “Kavanaugh denies two additional accusations to Senate Judiciary Committee.” The New York Times reported that the Whitehouse constituent had recanted the claim.
A Politico reporter tweeted that some Democrats believe Republicans are releasing anonymous reports to cloud the allegations of named people that are more credible.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Senate Transcript Matches Details from the Catalan Twitter Account
In addition to the accusations involving Ford, Ramirez, and Swetnick already in the public domain, Brett Kavanaugh was asked about two new allegations by the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 25, 2018. One involved an anonymous letter, and the other was the Rhode Island accusation. The transcript was released to the news media. You can see the full transcripts of Kavanaugh’s interviews here.
The Jeffrey Catalan account indicates its owner is from Tiverton, Rhode Island. “Graphic Artist, Artist, photography and writer. Hippie, First Responder, Father and Grandpa and proud of it,” he defines himself on his profile. He only has 19 followers and started tweeting in June 2018. The tweets are almost all angry rants against President Donald Trump (Example on July 1, 2018: “Hey fat man in the White house, you ever going to show your taxes. I think your a coward. Fat, lying, cheating and of low IQ president should watch he says.”)
There is a Jeffrey Catalan registered to vote in Tiverton, Rhode Island. He is listed as being 61-years-old and having no political party affiliation.
The first allegation that Kavanaugh was asked about involved an unrelated anonymous letter sent to Senator Cory Gardner, a Republican from Denver, accusing Kavanaugh of misconduct in 1998. He denied that, saying it was “an anonymous letter about an anonymous person and an anonymous friend. It’s ridiculous. Total twilight zone.”
The transcript then segued into the separate Rhode Island accusation that matches the details on the Catalan Twitter page.
The transcript shows Kavanaugh brought up the Rhode Island allegation first.
He was first asked:
“The committee has received four separate allegations related to you and sexual misconduct. Is there a kernel of truth in any of these allegations?”
Kavanaugh: “No. Are we going to talk Rhode Island?”
“We are.”
Kavanaugh: “Okay. Let’s get that one out of the way, too.”
“Okay, Judge.”
Kavanaugh: “I don’t mean to cut off questions about the other one.”
“Oh, no, I think we are finished. Judge Kavanaugh, a Rhode Island man named (redacted) recently called Senator Whitehouse’s office making allegations concerning a rape on a boat in August of 1985. Have you had the opportunity to review those allegations?”
Kavanaugh: “Yes.”
“So, for the record, the report from Senator Whitehouse states, ‘Senator Whitehouse received a call this morning from a Rhode Island constituent (redacted), who made allegations regarding U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. (Redacted) reported that early on a Sunday morning in August of 1985, a close acquaintance of the constituent was sexually assaulted by two heavily inebriated men she referred to at the time as Brett and Mark. The event took place on a 36-foot maroon and white boat in the harbor at Newport, Rhode Island, after the three had met at a local bar. According to (redacted), when he learned of the assault at approximately 5:00 a.m. that same morning, he and another individual went to the harbor, located the boat the victim had described and physically confronted the two men, leaving them with significant injuries. (Redacted) recently realized that one of the men was Brett Kavanaugh when he saw Kavanaugh’s high school yearbook on television over the weekend. He promptly reported the incident to our office on Monday morning, September 24, 2018.’ Judge did this event happen?”
Kavanaugh: “No. I was not in Newport, haven’t been on a boat in Newport. Not with Mark Judge on a boat, nor all those three things combined. This is just completely made up, or at least not me. I don’t know what they’re referring to.”
“Did you ever sexually assault a woman or women in Rhode Island?”
Kavanaugh “No.”
“Were you ever in a situation where two men injured you and someone named Mark?”
Kavanaugh: “No.”
“Do you have any knowledge of such a boat?”
“No.”
“Do you know (redacted)?”
Kavanaugh: “No.”
“(Redacted) appears to have a Twitter account with the handle (redacted). Among other things the information identifies the account holder as a ‘hippie’ from ‘(redacted), Rhode Island.’ Are you aware that on June 27th of this year, the account tweeted, “A question, when will the United States military decided to do what they have vowed and remove the domestic threat to the Constitution that lives in the White House?”
Here is the transcript excerpt:
A portion of the Senate Judiciary Committee transcript on the Newport allegation.
Here is the tweet on the Catalan page:
Kavanaugh: “Can you repeat – you broke out. So I just want to make sure I got it. I think I got it, but can you repeat it?”
“Sure. So (redacted) has a Twitter account with the handle (redacted). Among other things, the information identifies the account holder as a ‘hippie’ from ‘(redacted) Rhode Island.’ Are you aware that on June 27 of this year, this account tweeted, ‘A question, when will the United States military decided to do what they have vowed and remove the domestic threat to the Constitution that lives in the White House?'”
Kavanaugh: “I’m not aware of his Twitter account or what might be on his Twitter account, if that’s the question.”
“So you are not aware that on July 8 of this year, this account tweeted, ‘Dear Pentagon, please save my country from the parasite that occupies the White House. Our you waiting until Russians parachute in like Red Dawn? Please help!'”
That tweet also appears on the Catalan page, but on July 9.
Kavanaugh: “I’m not aware of that.”
“So are you also not aware that on August 18 of this year, this account tweeted, ‘I am making for the military to do their constitutional duty – I am asking. I am asking – excuse me. For the military to do their constitutional duty and protect us from the domestic terrorist in the Oval Office. Please, please, please.”
Kavanaugh: “I’m not aware of that.”
“Having heard this information, do you know or remember (redacted)?”
Kavanaugh: “I don’t.”
“What are your general reactions to this allegation, Judge?”
Kavanaugh: “It’s just totally made up. Ridiculous.”
Here are some of the other recent tweets on the Catalan account:
“Baby reactions cause Baby fingers to tweet from the Baby in charge in the White house . Words hurt more than bruises, right Baby.” (August 13, 2018)
“When are we going to do something about Bozo, that sits in the Oval Office. We are being raped financial and ethical by this band of thieves and it’s clueless leader.” (August 13, 2018)
“I’m officially announcing that I am the President of the Deep State. I am the them. I am the anti Trump. Hey now what’s that sound…” (July 25, 2018)