The United States has now reached the point that some feared had only been delayed and not put off entirely by the newest FBI investigation into President Donald Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Facing credible allegations of sexual assault, that investigation got underway in recent days with the stated purpose of finding any and all available information about the stories. That investigation has now concluded, and U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman and Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley has insisted — it’s time to vote.
He claims that after being briefed on the investigative agency’s findings, he’s found nothing he didn’t already know. Through the course of the investigation, the FBI interviewed nine people — although the full list of their identities is not public at this time. At least one of those scrutinized was Kavanaugh friend Mark Judge, who has been widely alleged to have carried on right alongside Kavanaugh throughout his younger years.
Grassley insists that from all of this, nothing significant has emerged that even remotely corroborates the account of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman to accuse Kavanaugh of assault.
He put forward:
‘I’ve now received a committee staff briefing on the FBI’s supplement to Judge Kavanaugh’s background investigation file. There’s nothing in it we didn’t already know. These uncorroborated accusations have been unequivocally and repeatedly rejected by Judge Kavanaugh, and neither the Judiciary Committee nor the FBI could locate any third parties who can attest to any of the allegations… This investigation found no hint of misconduct.’
His steamrolling account glosses over a number of nuances to the situation.
First of all, the nature of the claimed incident involving Kavanaugh, Judge, and Ford demands that there are no other witnesses. The violent attempted rape didn’t take place in full view of everyone.
Secondly, it’s become clear — although we don’t, as a public, have access at this point to the FBI’s investigation — that there are individuals who can back up Ford’s account, and the accounts of Kavanaugh’s other accusers, for that matter. Prominent attorney Michael Avenatti revealed a sworn statement from one such witness whose name had been redacted just this week.
In addition, it’s become apparent through various reports that the FBI hadn’t even been authorized to look into key aspects of the situation, like the judge’s drinking. Kavanaugh insisted during a hearing last week that he’d never drank in his entire life to the point of blacking out, and various people who knew him during his younger years insisted that was a lie. Still, the FBI reportedly stayed away from that line of inquiry.
Despite these issues, Grassley added:
‘No one is on trial and the Senate is not a courtroom. But our nation’s tradition of fairness still applies. A presumption of innocence is how the American justice system works, and it should remain our guidepost in the Senate. Abandoning that principle would cut a sad path for the Senate as an institution… It’s time to vote.’
JUST IN: Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley: “I’ve now received a committee staff briefing on the FBI’s supplement to Judge Kavanaugh’s background investigation file. There’s nothing in it that we didn’t already know…It’s time to vote.” https://t.co/Y3EPXZNDpc pic.twitter.com/fJnrsH4Www
— ABC News (@ABC) October 4, 2018
At this point, a final vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation will likely be taking place soon — U.S. Senate Majority Leader and Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell has made that much clear. All eyes are on three Republicans — Arizona’s Jeff Flake, Maine’s Susan Collins, and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski. The GOP can only lose one without picking up Democratic support.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
