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1 NOMI.N ATION OF
2 THE H.ONORAB·LE B·RETT M. KAVAN.A UGH
3 TO BE AN ASSOCIATEJUSTl.CE OF THE
4 SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
5
6
7
8
9 Monday, S,eptember 17, 2.0 l8
10 -. .-
·11 Un.ite.d Stales s:en,a te
12 .C.o nimittee on the
~--.,.
•. 3
J1.1dici~:ry
14 wa·shingt~·n, D.C.
15
16 Corrected Transcript
17 The .teleconference commenced at 6:04· p.m. and was
18 reported fro.m Room SD-1 Bl~ Dirks~n Senate Office
19 Building, i.n Co:mmittee Confidential -s.e·ssion
20 Participants:
21 Jud.g·e- Brett Kavanaugh
22 A.lex Walsh ,. o.n behalf of Judge Kavanaug.h
23
24 - ' Se·nate·Judiciary Cominitte.e Professi.o nal Staff
25: Me.mbers .
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2
1 PROCEEDINGS
2 · Good evening. This is
from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Is this Judge
3
4
Kavanaugh?
5JUDGE KAVANAUGH: This is Brett Kavanaugh. l'rn
6 he·re w·i th Alex Walsh, my counsel.
7 Great. Well, thank you very much for
8 getting on this call with us today. As you know, this is
9 part of the Committee's background investigation into
1O your nomination. Just so you know, this call is being
11 transcribed.
..·-
12
........
I'll let the rest of my colleagues here introduce
3 themselves.
14 for
15 Chairman Grassley.
16
17
18
19 We also have a transcriber here as
20 wen.
21 JUDGE KAVANAUGH: Great.
1
22 We d aJso like to note for the record
23 that the Ranking Member's staff were invited to this
24 background investigation follow-up ph.one call and they
25 have declined to j.oin.
1
J Again, Judge, thank you f.or chatting
2 j with us today. We want you to be able to answer the
3 I questions we have in the most complete and truthful
4 I manner as possible. So if you have any questions during
5 I this process or if you don't understand any of our
6 qu.estions, just I.et us know.
7 If you don't know the answer to a question or don't
8 remember, don't guess. just give us your best
9 I recollection. It's okay to tell us if you learned
·1O I informatipn frorn somewhere else, if you indicate how
l l I you came to know that information.
.........
12 If there's anything you don't rem.ember, just give us
· , 3 the best of your knowledge. If you have names of folks
14 that can provide further information, we'd tak.e those.
15 For the benefit of everyone here; this interview is
16 part ofJudge Kavanaugh's background investigation and,
17 unless we get a waiver to do so, its contents can't be
1 8 shared with anyone whose name does not appear on the
19 list of designated staff or representatives pursuant to this
20 Committee's September 22, 2009, memorandum of
21 understanding with the counsel of the· President of the
2 2 United States.
23 Also, all Senators are ~ntitled to a
24 briefing of this interview if they request one,.
25 JUDGE KAVANAUGH: Okay.
4
l (pause·.-)
2 A.re you the.re?'
3 JUDCE KAVANAUGH: i am.
4 · Sorry. Was that '""" are you familiar with the
5 Wa.s;hington Post article on this top.ic?
6 JUDGE KAVANAUGH: Yes, I am.
7 Great.
8 We'd like to first as.k you sorne
9 questions about. Christine Blasey Ford. I doh't know if I'm
1O saying th.at right. Do you know Dr. Fo.rd?
11 JUDGE KAVANAUG.H: W.e. did ·not travel in th.e same.
drcles. in hig.h st.ho.al.. ·1 recogn ize :the: name..
So do you recal.1 rnee~ing· her .or
kn:owing. her at all in hig·h school?'
l5 JUDGE KAVANAUGH: Again, we didn't travel in. the
16 sam.e ·c lrcl.es:, but I recall her name.
17 So you don't recall meeting her?
18 JUDGE KAVANAUGH: I don't reca:li meeting her,
19 that.'s corre.ct.
20 And you don't recall any interactions
21 with her s·pecifically?
22 JUDGE KAVANAUGH: T.h at'·s correct.
2.3 Do you know a.ri.Y m·e.mbers in her
24 family?
25 JUDGE KAVANAU.GH: I do not.
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7
. -""'-
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1 with him..
2 Can you d~scribe ·what the social events
3 were, what they typtcalty were., those we.e kends that you
4 met Mr.Judge?
s JUDGE KAVAN·AU.GH: ·rhere often were parti'es oh
·6. Saturday night during the school year, where one peison
7 would have a party Where boys and girls ·would be, a·tid it
B was fairly typical.~ at l~ast for the hi~h s.c ho.ol culture of
9 ·1 979 ·th.ro'.u gh 1983', I believe..
1.Q w·ere there ever -- was there drinkirtg .at
'l l these parties?
.12
,,......,.,
JUDGE KAVANAUGH:: Ye;S. The drl-nking age was 18
·3 and that was not fo:·11owed by the parents . The pq.rents
14 were .g e·nerally present at the.-s~ parties.
1 5· They were?
f6 JUDGE KAVANAUGH: Y.es...
l7 We re there ev.er occ(;lSions where there
·1.8 were rtot parents: pt esent?
1.9 JUDGE. KAVANAUGH: I'm sure there ·were.
20 Did any of the~e part.ies ·inch.ide
21 soctal,lzing with students qt .t he Holton Arms School?·
2·2: JUDGE KAVANAUGH: I believe so on occas·ion ... But
23 out s;chool primarily sociaHzed with girl·~ from Stone
24 Ridge, Holy Child, occa-~no.nally Vis-itation, lmmac~ l ata,
2 5 sometin:i-es Holy cr·oss. But, that said, I would imagine
11
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15
4 you. more g.e nerally. You1ve heard these· allegations made.by Dr .. Fon;f.,
5 You've re·aci . a.bout them i.n the Was,hihgtqn Po'st. I just want to. get your
6 general reaction to the.se a·llegations.
JUDGE KAVANAUGH: Tha·nk you. I did n.ot db this.
7
6 did not do this to Ms. ·Ford or anyone. I ·want to be
9 c:ategori·cal and une.quivotal that I did not commi.t sexual
·1O assault. That i.s not me. 'T hat was not me.
11 Yo.u have heard from friends I ha_ ve from high .school,
-~ 2 65 women, 2·20 or -so total, men and wom·en.. That
·1:3 includes many friends who. were girls, as well as pe:ople I
14 dat~d, including ·d~nces over this period, all of whom
15 attested to my resp·e.c t. for women and treating them· a·s·
16 equa·ls. :at the· time.
17 You've heard throughout this process how l've treated
l8 women as equals and sought to promote women. You
19 have ~ letter fro.m wom:en I went to coUege With. You have.
20 a letter from 84 women I worked with 'i.i1 the Bush White
21 House.
22 Yo.u've heard often from my forrn~~ clerks who are
23 women . A _ m aj.ority of my cl.erks h~ve been wo·me·n.
24 Almost all of the.m have gone on to clerk at the SQpreme
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16
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17
.-.•..
l .dated July 30, 20 l 8, that she said that she rece:.i ved from
2 Or. Park. Sen~to.r Feinstein sat .o.n this letter -- .ex(:use me.
3 Dr. Fo.rd. I apol'o~ize. Dr. Ford.
4 Senator F~rnstein -sat on thi.s letter fo·r n·early si'x.
5 vyeeks and did not tell the Chairman or'- apparently,. any
6 other member of the Senate Judiciary Comtnitte.e . Do you
understand that?
7
8 JUDGE KAVANAUGH: I have. read that.
9 " During this tim.e, we. have had_, c;il·ong
1O with vour- meeti.ng with 65 Senators·, in·c ludin.9. Senator
l l Feinstein, ·we have also "'.-do you recall that Senator
12 Feirrstein's staff and Chairman .Gr~s:sley's st~ff had two
··"'· 3 phone calls with you related to your FBI background
14 investigation? Do you recall, it was -- excuse m.e. One
15 p·hone c.an related to your" FBI investigation~ do you reqall
·16 that phone call.7
17 JUDGE KAVANAUGH: I do recall the phone calL
18 'There might have been two.
1.9 Do yo.u also -- I know that you're not
20 going to for9et this. Do you recall silting throu9.h three
21 .days. and 32 h.ours. of a public h~aring with the Senate
22 Judiciary- Committee?
23· JUDGE KAVA.NAUGH: I do.
24 Do you recali at :any point dl)ring this
25 ·process that this issue related to Dr. Ford, that Senator
............. ....
. ~\
5
6 are. We've already -.:. we
So here we
7 were s:·c heduled to have your vote out of the Comm ittee
.g to th~ Senat~ floo.r thi·s Th .ursd~y ....And for the first ti.me,
9 o·n Sunday we· learned the identity of this accuser. Is that
lO when you learned, the identity of this accuser?
1l JUDGE KAVANAUGH: That is correct.
12 What's your reaction to ·that?
·- y 3 JUDGE KAVANAUGH:- I want a he·aring tomorrow.
i.4 ·well, Judge·, we under.stand that. We
15 have rul.e.s in the Se:nate Judiciary Committee~ We would
i ·6 love to have -yout heating tomorrow, so you can corn.·e
17 testify and tell the Ametican people what you jus·t ~old µs.
·18 We have. rules where we. can't have your hearing for seven
19 days..
20 s·o we· have noticed a hearing .for .next Monday at
21 10:00 a.m., so you .c an come· in and tell .t he Ameri.c an
22 people. what you've just tol~ . us. I hope that the A.m e:rican
23 peopl.e get to hear from: you.
24 . JUD.GE KAVANAUGH: I look forwar~ to the h~aring·.
25 I welcome the opportunity.
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