A New York Times journalist has reportedly expressed remorse to Mark Judge, a high school friend of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, regarding the newspaper's 2018 coverage of sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. David Enrich, an investigative reporter for the Times, contacted Judge, acknowledging his role in the coverage and admitting he might handle certain aspects differently in the future. Judge, who detailed the exchange in Chronicles Magazine, described Enrich's tone as contrite, a surprising turn of events considering he believed the Times' reporting had significantly impacted his life.

Judge maintains that the Times relied on unreliable information from sources like Michael Avenatti, alleging he and Kavanaugh were involved in group sexual assaults during high school. He claims Enrich and another reporter, Kate Kelly, sought to validate these allegations by digging up any potentially damaging information about Judge's adolescence. Judge asserts that several journalists involved in the coverage have since expressed regret over their role in the events.

During the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, alleging Judge was present. Judge denied these allegations, stating he never witnessed such behavior from Kavanaugh. No other witnesses corroborated Ford's account, and no one could confirm seeing Ford and Kavanaugh together. The Times' coverage included details about Judge's involvement in a high school yearbook photo labeled "Renate alumni" and his contributions to an underground student newspaper containing what some considered sexist humor.

Judge, who recounted his experiences in his book "The Devil's Triangle," claims the Times' reporting severely affected his mental health. When he expressed his distress to Enrich, he was surprised by the reporter's apparent sympathy. While Judge interprets Enrich's response as a sign of conscience, the New York Times stands by its coverage, asserting it was thorough, independent, and fair. Both Enrich and Kelly declined to comment on the matter. Judge also previously alleged he received a threatening phone call attempting to extort him into changing his story after he refuted Ford's allegations. He claimed the message was relayed to the FBI, but no resolution was reached.