Manger and McCarthy stand ready to investigate allegations against Kavanaugh
In response to a letter from 11 state delegates asking Montgomery County Police to investigate sexual assault allegations multiple women have made against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, both the Montgomery County Police Chief and State’s Attorney have said they are both standing by if a victim comes forward.
Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger and State’s Attorney John McCarthy said no accusers have filed a criminal report, but both Montgomery County police and prosecutors are ready to investigate if someone wishes to file a criminal complaint.
“We remain prepared to investigate any allegation, should a victim come forward,” they wrote in a letter to Del. Ariana Kelly (D-16).
Kelly, along with 10 other members of the House of Delegates, wrote a letter to Manger and McCarthy, asking them to investigate the sexual allegations that women have made against Kavanaugh. One of the women, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in Montgomery County.
In her testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee, Ford said that Kavanaugh pinned her down against her will, covered her mouth so she could not scream, rubbed himself against her and attempted to pull her clothes off at a gathering near the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase. Ford said she was able to flee when Kavanaugh’s then-friend and high school classmate Mark Judge jumped on top of both of them.
In addition, Julie Swetnick, who attended Gaithersburg High School, said that Kavanaugh and Judge were present when she was gang-raped at a party.
Manger and McCarthy said in their letter that if a victim were to come forward and file a criminal complaint, investigators would have to apply the law from the time, likely 1982, to whatever allegation would be made.
“Furthermore, the law at the time the offense occurred is the law that must be applied to any charges that might be brought,” Manger and McCarthy wrote.
According to Manger and McCarthy, both assault and attempted rape were misdemeanor crimes at the time, meaning they are subject to a one-year statute of limitations. Maryland has no statute of limitation for felony sexual assault.
On Tuesday, 11 Maryland delegates from Montgomery County signed a letter asking Montgomery County Police to investigate the sexual assault allegations.
“We believe local law enforcement has the authority to investigate [the] allegation of crimes without [the] need for a formal complaint, and we further believe third parties have standing to bring such complaints,” they wrote.
On Friday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of recommending Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate for a vote. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) voted in favor of sending Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Senate, on the basis that the FBI will conduct a one-week investigation into the sexual assault allegations.
On Friday afternoon, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) stated on Twitter, “Facts matter. President Trump must order a full FBI investigation into all of the allegations against Kavanaugh without delay. Leader McConnell must wait for the results of that investigation before there is any vote on the Senate floor. The truth is nonpartisan.”
