Epstein Emails: Sex Abuser Sympathized With Kavanaugh During Confirmation

Jeffrey Epstein expressed sympathy for Brett Kavanaugh during the Supreme Court nominee’s 2018 confirmation and suggested Republicans should have challenged Christine Blasey Ford more aggressively, according to emails and text messages released by the Department of Justice.¹

The messages show Epstein, a convicted sex offender at the time, monitored the confirmation proceedings and wrote that Ford’s sexual assault allegation could prevent Kavanaugh’s appointment to the court, according to the documents.¹

Messages With Ken Starr

Epstein exchanged messages with Ken Starr and others about Ford during the confirmation proceedings, according to the released communications.¹ Starr, the former independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton, later served as Epstein’s defense attorney.

Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2018 that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a house party when both were teenagers in the 1980s. Kavanaugh denied the allegation. The Senate confirmed him 50-48 on October 6, 2018.

DOJ Release

The communications were released as part of disclosures following the Epstein Transparency Act. Attorney General Pam Bondi has defended the release as complete, though members of Congress from both parties say key information remains heavily redacted.²

The Kavanaugh confirmation became one of the most contentious in modern Supreme Court history.

Starr died in 2022. Kavanaugh remains on the Supreme Court.

References

1. Epstein emails: sex abuser sympathized with Kavanaugh during confirmation - The Guardian
2. AG Bondi Defends Complete Epstein File Release as Lawmakers Demand More