Kavanaugh accuser Mark Stier was Bill Clinton's lawyer and worked for Trump campaign too
High-profile attorney Mark Stier is making headlines after the New York Times wrote an article, detailing his account as a witness of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's alleged sexual assault on a woman at a Yale University dorm party in the 1980s. Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit nonpartisan organization aimed at improving workings of the federal government, is widely known in political circles.
However, the recent Times report has thrown spotlight on his partisanship, with many questioning his intentions after news emerged that he had worked as former President Bill Clinton's defense attorney.
The Times published a report on Saturday, detailing excerpts of an upcoming book written by journalists Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly titled 'The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation.'
The book includes an allegation that Stier, Kavanaugh's classmate at Yale, had witnessed a sexual assault incident during a "drunken dorm party" in the 1980s, where he saw Kavanaugh's friends push his penis into the hands of a female student. The report stated that Stier had alerted senators and the FBI of the alleged incident days before Kavanaugh's confirmation to the SC panel, however, federal agents did not probe the case. The outlet, on Sunday, made an update to its report, mentioning that the friends of the alleged victim said she did not "recall the episode" and she had declined to be interviewed.
The report resulted in the scrutiny of Stier's reputation with conservative critics pointing out that the non-profit CEO was amongst the members of Clinton's legal team during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in 1998. Stier, at the time, was working for the law firm Williams & Connolly. However, multiple high-profile lawyers, and legal and ethics analysts have rushed to Stier's defense to highlight that he has worked "on both sides of the aisle" for a long time. Reports state that Stier's firm worked with both the Clinton and Trump campaigns before the 2016 presidential polls.
The co-founder of conservative online magazine The Federalist, Sean Davis, on Sunday tweeted: "Is that the same Max Stier who was one of Clinton's defense attorneys? Yes, yes it is."
Shortly after Davis tweet, Michael Avenatti, the attorney who represented adult-film star Stormy Daniels, responded, saying: "Do you actually believe this nonsense? Stier has worked on both sides of the aisle for decades and is widely respected by Dems and Repubs as you know. Stop trying to cover-up for your hand-picked 'federalist.'"
The former director of the US Office of Government Ethics also came to Stier's defense, stating how "well-respected" the non-profit CEO is "by both sides of the aisle."
Shaub, in his tweet, wrote: "Eyewitnesses often get attacked by supporters of the one whose conduct was witnessed. Before that happens, I'd like to add that Max Stier is well respected by both sides of the aisle, nonpartisan, smart and absolutely devoted to good government without regard to who's in power."
Even a self-identified "conservative blogger" at The Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin, defended Stier's reputation, writing: "I know Max Stier. He is scrupulously honest and nonpartisan."