On Wednesday, attorney Michael Avenatti tweeted a sworn statement from his client, Julie Swetnick, saying that she had witnessed Kavanaugh’s behavior at parties, that Kavanaugh engaged in inappropriate conduct, that he was present when gang rapes occurred and that there are plenty of witness to back up these claims.

Below is my correspondence to Mr. Davis of moments ago, together with a sworn declaration from my client. We demand an immediate FBI investigation into the allegations. Under no circumstances should Brett Kavanaugh be confirmed absent a full and complete investigation. pic.twitter.com/QHbHBbbfbE — Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 26, 2018



Those claims have all been denied by Kavanaugh, both in his latest statement and during his interview with Fox. That means that means that either Swetnick or Kavanaugh is not telling the truth.

Swetnick, along with other witnesses, including Mark Judge, must be called to testify, under oath, before a vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation can take place.

As Kavanaugh himself notes in his prepared remarks for Thursday’s hearing, “Allegations of sexual assault must be taken seriously. Those who make allegations deserve to be heard.”

Swetnick does deserve to be heard. Although some commentators will undoubtedly point out that her sworn testimony does not include an allegation of sexual assault against Kavanaugh, her statement does say that “In approximately 1982, I became the victim of one of these 'gang' or 'train' rapes where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present.”

Moreover, Swetnick directly implicates Kavanaugh’s integrity. She says, “I have reviewed Brett Kavanaugh’s recent claim on Fox News regarding his alleged “innocence” during his high school years and lack of sexual activity. This claim is absolutely false and a lie. I witnessed Brett Kavanaugh consistently engage in excessive drinking and inappropriate contact of a sexual nature with women during the early 1980s.”

Responding to Swetnick’s statement, Kavanaugh said: “This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone. I don’t’ know who this is and this never happened.”

In an earlier televised interview with Fox Kavanaugh also says, “No. I had never sexually assaulted anyone, not in high school, not ever. I’ve always treated women with dignity and respect.”

In the same interview, when asked specifically about “targeting women with alcohol and drugs to allow a train of men to subsequently gang-rape them” at house parties in the 1980s, Kavanaugh responded saying, “That’s totally false and outrageous. I’ve never done any such thing, known about any such thing.”

In short, Swetnick’s word against Kavanaugh’s. To hear out the accusations, as the Senate Judiciary committee must do to ensure the integrity and suitability of the nominee, Thursday’s testimony from the first woman to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford, cannot be the only testimony.

Mark Judge, whose name has consistently appeared in the allegations, could confirm or deny them. He must be called to do so. Moreover, senators must also have the chance to question Swetnick and her specific claims about Kavanaugh’s behavior. Finally, the other witness that Swetnick’s testimony explicitly claims must also come forward and be called to testify.