ABCDE Prices may vary in areas outside metropolitan Washington. SU V1 V2 V3 V4 Rain 66/60 • Tomorrow: Partly cloudy 75/61 B8 Democracy Dies in Darkness THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 . $2 President: On hearing’s eve, Trump stands by Kavanaugh China is DISMISSES CLAIMS AS ‘trying ‘CON’ BY DEMOCRATS to meddle’ Possibility of withdrawal floated after 3rd accuser BY SEAN SULLIVAN, He claims that Beijing, JOHN WAGNER angry over trade, aims AND GABRIEL POGRUND to hurt GOP in midterms President Trump forcefully dis- missed the accusations of sexual misconduct against Supreme BY DAVID NAKAMURA Court nominee Brett M. Ka- AND ELLEN NAKASHIMA vanaugh on Wednesday, saying his views have been affected by new york — President Trump on allegations he has faced in his Wednesday directly accused Chi- own life and vigorously denied. na of interfering in the U.S. mid- Trump accused Democrats of term elections this fall in retalia- orchestrating a “big, fat con job” tion for the ongoing trade war to scuttle the nomination of a between Washington and Beijing, highly qualified jurist, and he marking a new front in the deep- linked his opinions of the allega- ening hostilities that have threat- tions to his own life, in which he ened to upend bilateral relations. denied more than a dozen accusa- The president made the allega- tions of sexual assault and harass- tion during his opening remarks ment as a candidate for president. at a U.N. Security Council meeting “It does impact my opinion, on nonproliferation, asserting you know why? Because I’ve had a that China “has been attempting lot of false charges made against to interfere in our upcoming 2018 me,” Trump said at a news confer- election, coming up in November, ence in New York, where he at- against my administration. They tended the U.N. General Assem- do not want me or us to win bly. “So when I see it, I view it because I am the first president to differently than somebody sitting ever challenge China on trade, EVAN VUCCI/ASSOCIATED PRESS at home watching television.” and we are winning on trade — we President Trump said claims made against him have affected his views of the misconduct allegations against Brett M. Kavanaugh. The president also injected an are winning on every level. We element of uncertainty in an al- don’t want them to meddle or ready chaotic confirmation proc- interfere in our upcoming elec- Today’s hearing ess, saying he “can be persuaded” tion.” President calls #MeToo era ‘dangerous,’ unfair to men to believe Kavanaugh’s accusers Trump presented no evidence Supreme Court nominee Brett M. and was open to withdrawing the for his claims, and his top nation- BY PHILIP RUCKER, Trump’s expansive argument including many, Trump acknowl- Kavanaugh and the woman who nomination, “if I thought he was al security advisers told reporters ROBERT COSTA, cast doubt on the credibility not edged, who have been his friends. has accused him of sexually guilty.” in August they had not found JOSH DAWSEY only of the three women who have “When you are guilty until assaulting her when both were Trump’s comments came on specific examples of interference AND ASHLEY PARKER accused Kavanaugh of sexual as- proven innocent, it’s just not sup- teenagers are set to testify the eve of a consequential Senate ahead of the midterms from coun- sault, but also on scores of other posed to be that way,” Trump told Thursday at a highly anticipated hearing pitting the 53-year-old tries other than Russia, though President Trump on Wednes- women who have claimed sexual reporters. “That’s a very danger- Senate hearing critical to his being judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals they warned it remained a possi- day placed himself at the center of abuse by prominent men, includ- ous standard for the country.” confirmed to the high court. for the District of Columbia CHINA CONTINUED ON A17 the anguished national debate ing the president himself. During a freewheeling, Time: 10 a.m. against Christine Blasey Ford, over sexual assault, suggesting in In his defiant rush to rescue 81-minute news conference who has accused Kavanaugh of In Trump’s shadow: World leaders his defense of embattled Supreme Kavanaugh’s nomination, Trump Wednesday in New York, Trump Format: Judiciary Committee sexually assaulting her when both become bit players at the U.N. A17 Court nominee Brett M. Ka- effectively sought to draw a line in was asked whether the sexual as- Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R- were in high school. vanaugh that the #MeToo move- the sand against the growing sault or harassment allegations Iowa) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein Ford’s allegation and claims ment was “very dangerous” and number of allegations that have brought against him by more than (Calif.), the committee’s top from another woman have roiled unfairly threatened an entire felled male authority figures in a dozen women — claims he de- Democrat, will give opening the Senate. A third woman ac- class of powerful men. politics, the media and business — TRUMP CONTINUED ON A8 statements. cused Kavanaugh of misconduct Fair-lending Christine Blasey Ford, who has on Wednesday, prompting a swift accused Kavanaugh, will give her denial from the judge and spur- o∞cial once opening statement. She will then ring Republicans on the Senate 3rd accuser has spent most of life around Washington face questions from Rachel Judiciary Committee to vow to Mitchell — the Arizona prosecutor investigate the accusations. cast doubt on BY MICHAEL E. MILLER, Julie School, located in a far less afflu- hired by the committee’s 11 Julie Swetnick, a Washington STEVE HENDRIX, Swetnick, 55, ent section of the same county resident represented by celebrity Republican senators — and the JESSICA CONTRERA is a Web where Kavanaugh lived and at- lawyer Michael Avenatti, said in a panel’s 10 Democratic senators. hate crimes AND IAN SHAPIRA developer who tended an exclusive prep school. sworn declaration that Ka- has held Swetnick’s father, 95, said The questioners will alternate. Each vanaugh was physically abusive has five minutes for questioning. BY ROBERT O’HARROW JR., Julie Swetnick, who Wednes- security Wednesday that he was shocked toward girls in high school and SHAWN BOBURG day became the third woman to clearances for to learn from a Washington Post After Ford testifies, Kavanaugh will KAVANAUGH CONTINUED ON A8 AND RENAE MERLE accuse Supreme Court nominee her work. reporter that his daughter had take her place at the witness table Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual mis- made the explosive allegations. and face questioning from Mitchell The questioner: Spotlight will be A senior Trump appointee re- conduct, is an experienced Web on the lunar orbiter for NASA, and She said in an affidavit that Ka- as well as Republican and glaring for Arizona prosecutor. A11 sponsible for enforcing laws developer in the Washington area her mother was a geologist at the vanaugh was present at a house Democratic senators. against financial discrimination who has held multiple security Atomic Energy Commission — party in 1982 where she alleges Where to watch: C-SPAN, The heat is on 3: Flake, Collins and once questioned in blog posts clearances for her work on gov- has spent most of her life around she was the victim of a gang rape. major cable networks and Murkowski heavily lobbied. A12 written under a pen name wheth- ernment-related networks. Washington. Now 55, she grew up Kavanaugh immediately issued washingtonpost.com. er using the n-word was inherent- The child of two government in Maryland and graduated in a statement in response: “This is Trump lets loose: 81-minute Q&A ly racist and claimed that the bureaucrats — her father worked 1980 from Gaithersburg High SWETNICK CONTINUED ON A10 — From staff reports of bluster, falsehoods, insults. A12 great majority of hate crimes were hoaxes. Eric Blankenstein, a policy di- rector at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, expressed those and other controversial Blurring foreign-domestic trade line views more than a decade ago on a political blog he co-authored with of sturdy and steady writing in- to impose a 114.9 percent duty, or two other anonymous contribu- struments. A key part of its ap- tax, on Chinese competitors — tors. Pencil firm’s practices proach has been to use U.S. trade more than doubling the costs for In a 2004 post, Blankenstein highlight regulatory law to reap government benefits some other pencil manufactur- wrote that a proposal at the Uni- and protection as it also moved ers. versity of Virginia to impose debate in Washington almost all pencil production to But even as it receives these harsher academic penalties for Mexico and China. protections, its status as a U.S. acts of intolerance was “racial idi- The company has collected firm is unclear. It has shed hun- ocy.” He questioned how authori- BY DAMIAN PALETTA nearly $5 million in federal fund- dreds of jobs, and a key U.S. ties could know the motivation of ing aimed at victims of foreign agency removed Dixon’s designa- someone using a racial slur. Dixon Ticonderoga sold mil- trade abuse since 2005 and has tion as a “domestic” manufactur- “Fine . let’s say they called lions of the iconic No. 2 yellow requested millions more, accord- er because it made so few pencils him n----- ,” he wrote, spelling out pencils American children took ing to Customs and Border Pro- at its Georgia plant. the slur. “. would that make back to school this month. tection records. And the fact that At retailers such as Staples, them racists, or just a-------?” CHARLOTTE KESL FOR THE WASHINGTON POST But the 223-year-old firm has it has a Georgia distribution cen- Target and Amazon.com, The Blankenstein also wrote that Iconic U.S.