Senator Criticizes FBI Investigation of Kavanaugh Allegations

In 2018, former President Donald Trump assured that the FBI would have “free rein” in conducting an investigation into allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. However, a report by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Judiciary Committee, claims the investigation was flawed and incomplete. Kavanaugh had been accused of sexual misconduct by two women, which he has consistently denied.

Senator Whitehouse’s report criticized the FBI for not adequately investigating the allegations, noting that thousands of tips were received but merely forwarded to the White House. “The supplemental background investigation was flawed and incomplete,” the report stated, adding that the investigation could have yielded more relevant information if the FBI had pursued additional leads.

The report alleges that despite Trump’s public statements suggesting the FBI had full investigative authority, the Trump administration exercised control over the investigation’s scope. This supposedly prevented the FBI from interviewing witnesses and pursuing leads that might have been crucial. The report suggests the Trump administration “kneecapped” FBI investigators and “misled the Senate,” according to Whitehouse.

The Trump campaign, through spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, dismissed the report as a “ridiculous story,” arguing it was a tactic to “delegitimize the Supreme Court.” Leavitt claimed the allegations against Kavanaugh were part of a Democrat-led smear campaign.

In response, the FBI stated it conducts background investigations based on the scope defined by the White House counsel’s office and lacks authority to extend beyond those parameters. “We have consistently followed that process for decades and did so for the Kavanaugh inquiry,” the agency mentioned in a statement.

The report revisits the contentious confirmation process for Kavanaugh, whose Supreme Court nomination by Trump took place on July 9, 2018. Allegations surfaced later, although they were not identified in the initial FBI background investigation. Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, had accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault during high school, claims she later testified to in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Ford’s lawyers, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, stated the report validated their concerns that the investigation was merely a “sham” designed to allow Kavanaugh’s confirmation to proceed without a genuine probe into the allegations. They criticized the supposed cover-up of information by the Trump White House.

Moreover, Deborah Ramirez, a Yale University classmate of Kavanaugh, alleged his inappropriate behavior during a party, an accusation Kavanaugh also denied. Whitehouse, a former U.S. attorney and state attorney general, said the inadequacies in the FBI’s investigation raised serious questions during Kavanaugh’s confirmation for a lifetime position on the court.

“The Trump White House thwarted proper FBI investigation of the allegations against Kavanaugh, denying Senators information needed to fulfill our constitutional duties,” Whitehouse asserted, emphasizing the importance of proper investigation for serious allegations against a lifetime appointee.