Kavanaugh Accuser Has Interesting Legal History

Julie Swetnick is no stranger to legal battles. Brett Kavanaugh's third accuser (see her accusations here) has been involved in at least six since 1993, the AP reports. A previous employer, Oregon-based Webtrends, sued her in 2000 for allegedly lying on a job application after she traded back-and-forth sexual misconduct accusations with employees. She also sued the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in 1994, claiming lost earnings after injuring her nose in a fall, but one person named as a possible employer denies planning to hire her and another later took out a restraining order against her. It seems neither case led to anything. Swetnick lawyer Michael Avenatti dismisses concerns about the lawsuits, saying he "fully vetted" her before going public with the Kavanaugh claims. In related news:

• Midterm rage: Partisan outrage over the Kavanaugh hearings is spilling into the midterms, giving GOP Senate challengers in pro-Trump states (like Indiana and West Virginia) a chance to fire up conservatives, the Washington Post reports. But it also threatens to further damage House Republicans in moderate suburban areas like the 33rd Congressional District near Austin.

• "Free rein": President Trump and the media are at odds over the scope of the FBI probe into accusations against Kavanaugh, the New York Times reports. Trump says agents will have "free rein," but it seems the FBI is questioning four witnesses and disregarding ex-classmates who contradict Kavanaugh's statements about his young partying and drinking.
• The ACLU: The American Civil Liberties Union is abandoning its usual neutrality over Supreme Court nominees and standing in opposition to Kavanaugh, the Washington Post reports. The ACLU says sexual misconduct allegations against him and "inadequate investigation" into women's claims made the difference.
• Women divided: Women are perhaps surprisingly divided over the Kavanaugh nomination, according to the AP. After women's voices rose up at the US Senate this week, the AP talked to women, mostly in red states, who either back Kavanaugh or sound a note of caution about accusations against him.

For more, read about the FBI probe, a part of the probe that Christine Blasey Ford doesn't like, or the women who confronted Sen. Jeff Flake. (More Brett Kavanaugh stories.)