Former President Donald Trump had promised in 2018 that the FBI would have “free rein” to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. However, a report from Senate Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse found the investigation to be “flawed and incomplete” as the FBI did not follow up on multiple leads.
Whitehouse’s report criticized the FBI for not fully investigating the claims made by two women regarding Kavanaugh’s alleged sexual misconduct. The FBI received thousands of tips but did not pursue them, instead passing them along to the White House. The report concluded that the Trump administration had control over the scope of the investigation and prevented the FBI from interviewing relevant witnesses.
Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt dismissed the report as a way to “delegitimize the Supreme Court” and pave the way for packing the Court with “Radical-Left Judges.” The FBI responded by stating that they only conduct background investigations based on requests from the White House and do not have the authority to expand the scope of their investigations.
The report reopens discussions surrounding Kavanaugh’s contentious Supreme Court confirmation process, which nearly derailed his nomination. Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed on a nearly party-line vote, with only one Democrat and one Republican breaking ranks. The allegations against Kavanaugh, made by Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, were not fully investigated by the FBI at the time.
Whitehouse continues to review the FBI’s handling of the Kavanaugh investigation, citing serious questions about the process and the need for transparency in confirming a lifetime appointment to the court.
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