As Twitchy told you Thursday, attorney Michael Avenatti might have hit a serious snag regarding the claims one of his clients initially made about Brett Kavanaugh. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley referred both Avenatti and his client Julie Swetnick “to the DOJ for a possible criminal probe over allegations of false statements to Congress regarding Brett Kavanaugh.”
The mainstream media breathlessly reported Swetnick’s claim during the Kavanaugh confirmation process, but now the backpedal begins:
From @tvkatesnow and @annaschecter As Chuck Grassley accuses Julie Swetnick of misleading Congress, new questions are being raised about Michael Avenatti's claims regarding Brett Kavanaugh. https://t.co/pU2WWcK94x
— NBC Investigations (@NBCInvestigates) October 25, 2018
The wheels look to have just about fallen off Julie Swetnick’s unsubstantiated allegation, but NBC News political director and “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd appears to be prepared to claim the media to be a victim in all this:
Was this an intentional attempt to mislead our reporters? Evidence points that way… https://t.co/MOxE8WiGK4
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) October 26, 2018
“Journalists” must be shocked — SHOCKED!
Hold up. Are you telling me that it’s possible that Brett Kavanaugh *didn’t* run a gang rape cult at parties in high school that Julie Swetnick attended again and again? https://t.co/ifmoGKMLIv
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) October 26, 2018
Gee, maybe those reporters who parrotted the story initially will now start looking into whether it’s true or not. *Eye roll*
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That evidence was known to NBC more than three weeks ago, right when Kavanaugh was about to receive a vote on the Senate floor, yet we’re just hearing about it now. Is there an executive over there with a “withhold evidence” button hidden under the desk? https://t.co/BYfRbLgBYs
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) October 26, 2018
“Journalism” in 2018 just got even more ridiculous.
The media didn’t vet any of his claims. They just printed it and had contributors on all day to speculate. The media weren’t victims. They were accomplices.
— Ryan (@alwaysonoffense) October 26, 2018
Yes and NBC knew but played along anyway. For the cause. https://t.co/vCxYmEajqM
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) October 26, 2018
It was negligence on your part @chucktodd not to take a minute and realize how incredibly stupid the whole thing sounded and take a real look at things.
— Parker Foster (@soonerspark) October 26, 2018
Zero self awareness here chucky. Pretty sure you’re complicit since you all ran with allegations you knew you couldn’t confirm. https://t.co/WkLmcABmxL
— Jeremy Cobb (@cobbycobb_UK) October 26, 2018
Don't even go down this road Chuck. It's the journalist's/reporter's responsibility to vet the information.
— MomNurse@Snowflake HQ (@Misty4Mueller) October 26, 2018
Well, Chuck, evidence also points to you and your reporters wanting desperately to report Kavanaugh was a gang rape leader. https://t.co/WDfc5XxedX
— Megawatt Herb Drench (@mdrache) October 26, 2018
Its ok. The important thing is that you ran with the smear at the time. https://t.co/QKZFmy7OlN
— Jennifer Bossypants ? Stand Tall ? Stay Sweet (@ajenable) October 26, 2018
You're just now asking that?
— Juanita Webb (@NitaMarie65) October 26, 2018
Weird, right?
Here’s Todd’s tweet translated:
What he means is, “Was this a successful attempt to use gullible reporters to smear Judge Kavanaugh?” https://t.co/GbTzJcDMwS
— Christopher J. Scalia (@cjscalia) October 26, 2018
And of course the answer is a resounding YES.