Leader of Conservative think tank will go on leave after Kavanaugh tweets

The leader of a prominent conservative research organization who suggested that Christine Blasey Ford mistakenly accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her while in high school, and who built a case against one of his classmates, will take a leave of absence from the organization, its board announced Sunday.

Edward Whelan, the president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a friend of Kavanaugh, offered his resignation after the organization’s board of directors convened a special meeting Friday, officials said in a statement. But the board did not accept it, choosing instead to place him on leave.

The board’s brief statement did not specify how long Whelan would be absent or when the leave would begin, saying only: “The board will meet in a month to review the situation.” The board said that Whelan had led the organization “with integrity and excellence for many years” and noted that he had apologized and deleted a string of tweets that contained the bizarre alternative explanation to the allegations presented by Blasey.

Whelan could not be reached for comment by phone or email Sunday night.

Blasey, a California professor, has said that in high school, Kavanaugh pushed her onto a bed, where he jumped on top of her, groped her and tried to remove her clothing — at one point, placing his hand over her mouth to stop calls for help. The accusation has put the confirmation of Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, in jeopardy.

On Thursday, Whelan — a well-connected member of Washington’s conservative legal establishment — posted the string of tweets, for which he was swiftly condemned. In the tweets, he posited a theory that Blasey’s account could alternatively describe a student at Georgetown Prep, where Kavanaugh went to high school, whom Whelan identified as a friend and football teammate. Using photographs from Georgetown Prep’s yearbook, Google Maps and floor plans of a home that he identifies as the classmate’s, Whelan built an argument that details of Blasey’s account fit the classmate’s home.

Whelan proceeded to post recent and high school photos of the classmate and Kavanaugh, suggesting that their similar appearance could easily confuse someone.

Although he apologized Friday for what he called “an appalling and inexcusable mistake of judgment,” he has not publicly apologized to Blasey or for his broader theory of mistaken identity, and in several other posts he has sought to cast doubt on her claims.

In a statement through her lawyers, Blasey has flatly rejected the possibility that she had confused Kavanaugh with the classmate identified by Whelan.

The man identified in the Twitter thread has not replied to phone messages seeking comment, and The New York Times is not naming him.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Leader of Conservative think tank will go on leave after Kavanaugh tweets

Enhance Your Pulse News Experience!

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!