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Just How Did That Letter from 65 Women Who Stand by Kavanaugh Come Together so Quickly?

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WASHINGTON – As the suspense continues over whether or not Brett Kavanaugh's accuser will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, many are wondering about the seemingly sudden appearance of 65 women who came to the Supreme Court nominee's defense last week.

Not long after a then-anonymous letter from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came to light accusing the 53-year-old Judge Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school, the women, all former classmates of Kavanaugh, penned their own letter – this one in support of him.

"We are women who have known Brett Kavanaugh for more than 35 years and knew him while he attended high school between 1979 and 1983," the women wrote in a memo to the Judiciary Committee.

"For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect," read the letter. "We strongly believe it is important to convey this information to the committee at this time."

Some, however, are skeptical of how Kavanaugh was able to garner so much support so quickly in light of what many view as an 11th-hour smear campaign.

But one of the signatories, Meghan McCaleb, is making it clear that the outpouring of support was a testament to Kavanaugh's character and that neither the Senate Judiciary Committee nor the White House had a hand in coordinating the letter.

"My husband and I have known Brett Kavanaugh since high school," McCaleb said in a new statement. "Last Thursday afternoon, September 13, a reporter contacted my husband asking about news reports that Senator (Dianne) Feinstein had referred to federal authorities an allegation from a woman to the effect that Judge Kavanaugh had acted improperly toward her during high school."

"Having known Brett well in high school, my husband and I were shocked by these news reports," she continued. "We agreed that we needed to inform the Judiciary Committee of Brett's high character and integrity from high school through the present day. We reached out to one of Judge Kavanaugh's former law clerks to discuss preparing a letter from the women who knew Judge Kavanaugh best during his high school years."

"Through a group effort with other friends of Judge Kavanaugh, we prepared the letter that ultimately was released," McCaleb recalled, noting that the missive "was not coordinated with anyone at the White House or the Senate Judiciary Committee."

Meanwhile, Georgetown law professor Rosa Brooks lent her voice to a chorus of critics, which includes Franklin Graham, who believe the decades-old incident – whether true or not – should have little if any bearing on Kavanaugh's confirmation proceedings.

"There are sound reasons behind statutes of limitations. After 35 years, it is nearly impossible to conduct a full or fair investigation," the Boston Herald quoted Brooks.

"I am uncomfortable with asserting that his behavior as a teen tells us anything about his 'character' now," Brooks tweeted. "Yes, even if his behavior as a teen included doing exactly what Ford says he did. This is because I don't think teen behavior is predictive of adult behavior... there is a ton of solid research on the general idiocy of teenagers, especially teenaged boys, and the neuroscience that explains their general idiocy."

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