The Senate Judiciary Committee released an executive summary of the FBI’s confidential supplemental background investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh late Thursday, which is now to be reviewed by key swing-vote senators prior to the nominee’s confirmation Friday.
The bureau reached 11 witnesses with first-hand knowledge of the alleged incident but only interviewed 10 of them. People directly related to the allegations of Julie Swetnick, a woman who claimed she had witnessed Kavanaugh participating in systemic gang rapes decades ago, were absent from the list of witnesses.
“The FBI provided to the Senate 12 detailed FD-302 reports summarizing their interviews with the witnesses as well as supporting materials cited by the witnesses during their interviews,” the summary, which only senators and top aides are allowed to review, reads.
Among those questioned were Mark Judge, PJ Smyth, and Leland Keyser, the three individuals Christine Blasey Ford claimed were present when Kavanaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her in 1982. But all three of them had previously told the Senate Judiciary Committee that they didn’t know anything of the alleged assault, Fox News reports.
Also interviewed were two of Kavanaugh’s friends, Christopher Garrett and Timothy Gaudette, as well as one of the witnesses’ lawyer. Deborah Ramirez, the woman who claimed in an explosive New Yorker piece that Kavanaugh had exposed himself to her at a Yale party was likewise interviewed by the FBI. Two alleged eyewitnesses to the incident and a close friend of Ramirez’s were interviewed as well.
“The Supplemental Background Investigation confirms what the Senate Judiciary Committee concluded after its investigation: there is no corroboration of the allegations made by Dr. Ford or Ms. Ramirez,” the Judiciary Committee Republicans wrote.
Senators whose votes will be key in confirming Kavanaugh have not yet clearly indicated how they would vote, although they have expressed confidence that the FBI investigation was “thorough” and acknowledged there is no corroboration of the sexual assault allegations.
Some, on the other hand, have maintained the investigation was far from thorough. Democratic senators have argued the Trump administration meddled in the investigation, restricting it severely.
“Well, that report — if that’s an investigation, it’s a bull—- investigation,” Senator Bob Menendez told a man as he walked through the Capitol complex on Thursday. “The reality is, that was not a full and thorough investigation.”
Ford’s attorneys also sharply criticized the FBI for not reaching out to interview their client, who testified at length during Thursday’s hearing.
A final vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation is expected Saturday. Even though it appears that Kavanaugh may be confirmed, CNBC suggests that it may also put Republicans in a peculiar situation, as it could very well hurt them in the November midterms.
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