GOP Senators Finally Break With McConnell & Side With Democrats Over FBI

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President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court ignited what’s turned into a firestorm of controversy. Judge Kavanaugh has faced credible sexual assault allegations that have compounded into an FBI investigation, and there’s an ongoing feud over what will be done with the results of that investigation.

Republican leaders, including the Trump administration itself and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have pushed to control the inquiry, with McConnell seeking to keep the results private. There’s growing discontent with that possibility from Republican Senators, though, which could push at least some of the results public.

Senate Majority Whip and Texan John Cornyn, for instance, explained of the going public option:

‘I personally think that would be a good idea. In this instance, I don’t know how you can accuse somebody of the terrible things that Judge Kavanaugh has been accused of and have people satisfied without some sort of summary of what the FBI found.’

Louisiana Republican John Kennedy said that he hopes the report is made public, and South Dakota’s John Thune and Missouri’s Roy Blunt also cast their support behind the idea, although Blunt did note that it’s abnormal for full FBI reports to be made public. Still, this is an abnormal case, to say the least, in terms of U.S. Supreme Court nominations. Trump’s first pick Neil Gorsuch didn’t face such stories emerging from his past.

Tennessee’s Bob Corker zeroed in closer on the GOP’s concerns in acknowledging that it might be best for at least some of the results to be made public — covering for themselves.

He explained to reporters:

‘I’m afraid if somehow or another we don’t make [the report] public both sides will be very selective with what they share with y’all.’

The concern comes after most of the Republican caucus in the U.S. Senate failed to initially get behind there being an FBI investigation into the stories of victimization at Kavanaugh’s hands at all. Only after retiring Arizona Republican and U.S. Senate Jeff Flake insisted there be an investigation as a condition of his support for Kavanaugh did the ball get rolling. Other Republicans eventually got behind the idea, and party leadership — and the White House — conceded.

Still, they’ve dropped the ball before, and Corker — who isn’t even coming back to Congress last year, having declined to seek re-election — is concerned about being faced with the backlash from doing so again. The controversy has compounded even since the investigation got underway, with reports emerging of leaders limiting the scope of the finally enacted FBI investigation. Although after those reports, authorities formalized some openings for the FBI, they’ve still been revealed to have not yet even gotten in contact with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford herself, the first woman to accuse Kavanaugh of assault.

The GOP’s fumbling of the whole case began well before that, and is perhaps best exemplified by South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham yelling during a hearing featuring the judge and Ford about how Kavanaugh had supposedly been put through hell.

In the time since, Trump himself has stood in front of a rally crowd and mocked Ford.

Letting the public view the FBI’s findings would be the least the GOP could do.

Featured Image via YouTube screenshot