What Kavanaugh’s drinking tells us about his credibility

4. There’s corroborating evidence that Judge behaved aggressively toward women while drunk—and then forgot about it. Judge said he doesn’t recall the incident Ford has described. Kavanaugh said this shows both men are innocent. But when you consider Judge’s statement in the context of his history with alcohol, it suggests just the opposite: Judge may have forgotten his encounter with Ford. And that raises the possibility that his drinking buddy Kavanaugh may have done the same.

In his memoirs, Judge recalls that immediately after a wedding celebration, a friend said that Judge had “tried to make it with one of the bridesmaids.” Judge, who had no memory of the incident, pleaded with his friend: “Please tell me I didn’t hurt her.” In another case, Judge woke up from a blackout, thinking, “I could have done anything and not know it—I could have murdered somebody.” Judge confesses that when he drank, “It was as though there was a different version of myself—Mr. Hyde—who had taken over my body, and I couldn’t stop him.”

Together, these facts establish a basis to investigate whether Kavanaugh too behaved aggressively while drunk and forgot about it. Such questions aren’t idle, prurient, or a “fishing expedition.” They’re grounded in evidence particular to Kavanaugh and Judge, and they’re central to evaluating Kavanaugh’s reliability as a witness to his own innocence. So let’s consider the next two points, regarding Kavanaugh’s testimony about his conduct under the influence of alcohol.