On the eve of a scheduled hearing for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor who has credibly accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party in 1982, what looked like a potential bombshell story appeared on social media:

Senate Judiciary Rs release a Kavanaugh investigative summary that includes:

-an anonymous claim of rape fwded by Harris’ office
-two intvus & a written statement from a man “who believes he, not” Kav, assaulted Ford in 1982
-phone intvu w/a 2nd man who believes same as above

— Elana Schor (@eschor) September 27, 2018

That was quickly followed by the usual suspects claiming that these anonymous interviews constituted irrefutable proof of nominee Kavanaugh’s innocence. “Kavanaugh Cleared: Two Men Confess to Sexually Assaulting Christine Blasey Ford,” blared one such headline on the disreputable NeonNettle.com, hedging its bets in the text of the article:

If true, the men in question are putting themselves in serious legal jeopardy  as there is no statute of limitations for rape in Maryland, where the alleged attack transpired.

[…]

One thing for sure is that these latest “confessions” highlight the uncertainty that accompanies claims that cannot be substantiated with any evidence, which makes them all — including those of Brett Kavanaugh’s accusers — very suspect.

However, the claims came without any corroborating evidence (no one would reveal the confessors’ identities, much less introduce their testimony) so it remains impossible to say whether the unnamed men were telling the truth, or indeed, if they even exist.