A prominent conservative commentator teased the revelation of "compelling evidence" that would exonerate Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh of a sexual assault allegation, electrifying the nominee's supporters on Twitter. But the argument laid out Thursday, which appeared to suggest that accuser Christine Blasey Ford had mistaken Kavanaugh for another person, was met with a backlash from many on the left and right. Some said the commentator, Ed Whelan, had opened himself up to a possible lawsuit. Ford herself rejected the notion, and Whelan apologized Friday morning. Whelan is president of the Washington-based conservative think tank Ethics & Public Policy Center and a vocal supporter of Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's second nominee to join the high court in two years. In the wake of Ford's explosive allegation that Kavanaugh had drunkenly pinned her to a bed and tried to rip off her clothes at a gathering when they were both in high school, Whelan had tweeted numerous times about the possibility that Ford may be accusing the wrong man. Whelan tweet 1 The allegation against Kavanaugh was first made public last week after Ford sent a letter detailing her story, and requesting anonymity, that was obtained by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Kavanaugh has strongly denied the accusation, and has recently said he plans to attend a public Senate Judiciary Hearing on Monday to testify under oath about Ford's claim. After much back-and-forth with committee leaders, Ford has said through her lawyers that she also intends to testify, and would do so Thursday, provided certain conditions are met. Public figures and politicos were quick to weigh in on the allegation, with some questioning the reliability of Ford's account of an event she said occurred in the early 1980s. Others have suggested that the decades-old incident should not affect Kavanaugh's prospects for the Supreme Court even if they were true. But Whelan appeared to be hinting at new developments to come that would prove Kavanaugh's innocence conclusively. "By one week from today, I expect that Judge Kavanaugh will have been clearly vindicated on this matter," Whelan said in a tweet on Tuesday. "Specifically, I expect that compelling evidence will show his categorical denial to be truthful. There will be no cloud over him." He followed up in another message: "Senator Feinstein will soon be apologizing to Judge Kavanaugh."

Whelan's thread