Up until this point, Ronan Farrow has built himself a pretty forceful name in investigative journalism. While yes, he is a known liberal, he also had the clout and the name to get allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Les Moonves, and former New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman published from his spot at The New Yorker. And then he started in on the Brett Kavanaugh allegations.

His name, and Jane Mayer’s, are now on the new allegations, published online last night, that claim Judge Brett Kavanaugh was at a drunk college party at Yale, which involved flashing genitals and a dildo.

Yes, this is 2018, and we’re now having to cover stories about drunk college kids in the 1980’s and their dildos. The story belongs to Deborah Ramirez, a Yale classmate of Kavanaugh’s.

Ramirez said that, when both she and Kavanaugh were freshmen at Yale, she was invited by a friend on the women’s soccer team to a dorm-room party. She recalled that the party took place in a suite at Lawrance Hall, in the part of Yale known as Old Campus, and that a small group of students decided to play a drinking game together. “We were sitting in a circle,” she said. “People would pick who drank.” Ramirez was chosen repeatedly, she said, and quickly became inebriated. At one point, she said, a male student pointed a gag plastic penis in her direction. Later, she said, she was on the floor, foggy and slurring her words as that male student and another stood nearby. (Ramirez identified the two male onlookers, but, at her request, The New Yorker is not naming them.)

A third male student then exposed himself to her. “I remember a penis being in front of my face,” she said. “I knew that’s not what I wanted, even in that state of mind.” She recalled remarking, “That’s not a real penis,” and the other students laughing at her confusion and taunting her, one encouraging her to “kiss it.” She said that she pushed the person away, touching it in the process. Ramirez, who was raised a devout Catholic in Connecticut, said that she was shaken. “I wasn’t going to touch a penis until I was married,” she said. “I was embarrassed and ashamed and humiliated.” She remembers Kavanaugh standing to her right and laughing, pulling up his pants. “Brett was laughing,” she said. “I can still see his face, and his hips coming forward, like when you pull up your pants.” She recalled another male student shouting about the incident. “Somebody yelled down the hall, ‘Brett Kavanaugh just put his penis in Debbie’s face,’ ” she said. “It was his full name. I don’t think it was just ‘Brett.’ And I remember hearing and being mortified that this was out there.”

Ramirez acknowledged that there are significant gaps in her memories of the evening, and that, if she ever presents her story to the F.B.I. or members of the Senate, she will inevitably be pressed on her motivation for coming forward after so many years, and questioned about her memory, given her drinking at the party.

And yet, after several days of considering the matter carefully, she said, “I’m confident about the pants coming up, and I’m confident about Brett being there.” Ramirez said that what has stayed with her most forcefully is the memory of laughter at her expense from Kavanaugh and the other students. “It was kind of a joke,” she recalled. “And now it’s clear to me it wasn’t a joke.”

This would be a fairly important addition to the story being told by Dr. Ford, if Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer had been able to substantiate ANY of the alleged witnesses to the supposed flashing and touching.

And shockingly, they admit within the body of the story that they cannot actually place Kavanaugh at the party, beyond Ramirez’s admittedly cloudy memory.

Two male students who were allegedly at the party, the wife of another male student, and three other Yale classmates all tell Ronan Farrow that there is no way Kavanaugh assaulted Ramirez.https://t.co/aeJVSqlltt pic.twitter.com/x0l6ZOk5H2

— Philip Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) September 24, 2018

The best friend of Ramirez tells Ronan Farrow of Ramirez: “this is a woman I was best friends with. We shared intimate details of our lives. And I was never told this story by her, or by anyone else. It never came up. I didn’t see it; I never heard of it happening.” pic.twitter.com/AQVHdN8Dlk

— Philip Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) September 24, 2018

Ronan Farrow could not confirm Kavanaugh was at the party Ramirez describes pic.twitter.com/tAWOm7Cgkm

— Philip Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) September 24, 2018

There are no actual eyewitnesses to this alleged incident, only someone who won’t let their name be published, but is “sure now” that they were told it was Kavanaugh back then, but didn’t see it themselves.

I don’t know how this can be seen any other way than political, especially considering the length of time that it took Ramirez herself to decide that yes, it really WAS Kavanaugh!

Summary of *new* Kavanaugh accusation via New Yorker:
1. Admits "gaps" in memory
2. Accusation not rape/sexual assault
3. She was highly inebriated, vision "foggy"
4. New Yorker refuses to name witnesses who can back Kavanaugh
5. If this is an 11th hour bombshell, it's a weak one pic.twitter.com/UeVtsESVWf

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) September 24, 2018

Six whole days.

"After six days of carefully assessing her memories and consulting with her attorney…" I mean come on. https://t.co/zhnJadFjjW

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) September 24, 2018

If you have to talk to your lawyers for *six days* about whether something happened to you, much more likely you’re trying to assess your legal risk for leveling a defamatory accusation https://t.co/8RBPH7Yi1B

— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) September 24, 2018

It’s almost like Ford’s laughably bullsh** delay tactics were necessary not so that she could testify, but so that this other accuser could get her story straight-

After six days of consultation with lawyers, of course (btw, who is paying those billable hours?)

ITS. A. HIT.

— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) September 24, 2018

I want some more time to think over the New Yorker piece, but these two paragraphs together, really underscore the political nature of this claim. This isn't about #MeToo, this is about keeping Kavanaugh off the court. pic.twitter.com/oEi2e44ocT

— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) September 24, 2018

And for crying out loud, can everyone PLEASE come to grips with the fact that the FBI is NOT the national police force??? This is not within their jurisdiction to investigate!

If the FBI is going to investigate every inappropriate fraternity prank based on hazy drunken recollections from the 1980’s-

The FBI is going to be doing nothing else. Ever.

— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) September 24, 2018

If Deborah Ramirez wants to file a 35 year old complaint of indecent exposure/sexual assault, she needs to do so with the New Haven police. Or maybe file a complaint with Yale. Maybe they’ll assemble a hearing for her, 35 years after the fact.

Regardless of Ramirez’s potential legal culpability, the professional reputation of Ronan Farrow is on the thinnest ice possible. There is just no way that a story like this, with no substantiated witnesses, gets published under anyone else’s name or reputation.

And now you know the answer. I can’t believe Ronan actually ran with that. https://t.co/aSZCdih9RD

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 23, 2018

Not only is the allegation itself rather dumb and not at all comparable to sexual assault, but the story is uncorroborated by anyone.

Even the women can’t wasn’t sure about the identity. How does this even get printed?

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 24, 2018

No. I am mad he abandoned the high standards he used in previous investigations to instead publish a partisan hit piece that is full of holes and lacks any substantive corroboration.

I’ve supported several of his stories against figures on the right. https://t.co/gkONDRkJLf

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) September 24, 2018

Because “It’s Ronan Farrow,” that’s how it got published. And Jane Mayer has an axe to grind with Clarence Thomas. (She also has issues with Vice President Pence, so needless to say, it’s a partisan thing, not a #MeToo thing.)

That story is so full of holes. And Jane Mayer has been looking for a scalp ever since her garbage stories about Thomas. She wrote a piece in February claiming there was new evidence Thomas lied and should be impeached. It was useless as used toilet paper.

— Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) September 24, 2018

So, while people are pointing out that Mayer is getting little credit for her work in this case…

It really bothers me how much Jane Mayer’s name is erased when people talk about her work. When it’s co-bylined with Ronan Farrow, it means it’s just as much hers as it is his. Stop erasing the female reporter from her work on sexual violence & giving exclusive credit to a man.

— Britni de la Cretaz ⚾️ (@britnidlc) September 24, 2018

https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1040617961000722433
… I’d actually argue that her name being attached to it is the damage point for Ronan Farrow and his reputation. An overwhelming preponderance of sources and names has been his hallmark with the other stories that he has broken. This is just poor journalism, despite the excuses being made.
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1044031127957135360
Oh please.

NBC: “Not enough evidence”
WaPo: “Not enough evidence”
NYT: “Not enough evidence”
New Yorker: “LEEROY JENKINS” https://t.co/tUJWcoid2Y

— Angela Morabito (@AngelaLMorabito) September 24, 2018

The New Yorker is unapologetically partisan, and it had the gravitas of Ronan Farrow attached to this. The report that other major outlets – who would have LOVED to take out Kavanaugh, including the Washington Post, who published the Christine Blasey Ford interview – actually passed on this one says quite a lot.

Read this paragraph from the New York Times, then re-read it. https://t.co/6Qt4UnW4F2 pic.twitter.com/ngigW5au5u

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) September 24, 2018

I hope it was worth it to The New Yorker, Ronan Farrow, and Jane Mayer. I’m sure the cockles of their social justice warrior hearts are warm and happy right now. It’s just that this story is trash, and their reputations are tarnished with it.

Sometimes if you don’t have the story, you don’t publish it.

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) September 24, 2018

“Um, he's sick. My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.” https://t.co/0AuSPx3Jnf

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) September 24, 2018

It was only a matter of time before Ronan Farrow’s legit reporting credibility was unfairly weaponized for partisan gain

This Kavanaugh hit piece is it https://t.co/N0exbxNSnI

— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) September 24, 2018

Now is the time for Republicans to decide if they still have a spine or not, because Democrats are going to use this to keep pushing a delay.

.@SenFeinstein calls for an “immediate postponement of any further proceedings” related to Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination: pic.twitter.com/bWpZmQtQXZ

— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) September 24, 2018

Meanwhile, our national circus show of hell is going to continue, because the truth doesn’t matter. Revenge matters. Making sure Roe vs. Wade stands forever matters. Six previous federal background checks and personal testimony mean nothing.

Senate Republicans have a simple choice: stand up to a coordinated Democrat smear campaign and confirm Kavanaugh, which will energize GOP voters and preserve House/Senate majorities, or buckle under Democrat lies and give up congressional GOP majorities for a decade or more.

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) September 24, 2018

It’s time for the GOP to put us out of our misery, one way or another. Either roll over and play dead, or fight back. Those are the only two options.

Featured image: Yale University landscape (via Pixabay)