Brett Kavanaugh Accused Of Sexual Misconduct, Matter Referred To Federal Investigators
Information has come forward alleging that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted a former female classmate when they were both in high school, according to the New York Times. According to officials familiar with the situation, the woman who made the claim spoke on the condition of anonymity, and thus far, all involved parties at the government level are respecting those wishes. The news of this information has only been made public this afternoon, and there are still some key details that have not been disclosed to the public.
What is known for sure is that the information was delivered via a letter to Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA), who then forwarded the letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), per Hollywood Life. The letter was originally received at some point this summer, and it is unclear how long Feinstein has been in possession of it. She informed fellow Democrats on the Judiciary Committee of the letter on Wednesday evening. It is alleged that several told her to go public with the letter, while others encouraged her to turn it over to the FBI.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, referred information about Brett Kavanaugh to federal investigators, but she declined to make it public https://t.co/9hPxaT8SLv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 13, 2018
Rather than risk the identity of the woman leveling the accusation of sexual assault against Kavanaugh going public, Feinstein opted to deliver the letter to the FBI, which she referenced during today’s confirmation hearing, per the New York Times. The FBI is routinely charged with investigations of this manner into public officials, as well as conducting their background checks.
JUST IN: Brett Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual misconduct with a woman in a letter that's been passed to the FBI: Report https://t.co/oi8PFIySK6 pic.twitter.com/N2rOzIgYZS
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) September 13, 2018
The public response to the new information regarding Kavanaugh has been met with skepticism by some, and demands that the remainder of his records be turned over by others who think more information like this may be hidden within them. Accusations that it is a baseless attempt to delay his confirmation have also been made by some members of the Republican party, such as Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), as reported by NPR. The White House has alleged this is an “11th hour attempt to delay” the confirmation of Kavnaugh in a statement delivered by White House Spokesperson Kerri Kupec, per Time.
“Throughout his confirmation process, Judge Kavanaugh has had 65 meetings with senators — including with Senator Feinstein — sat through over 30 hours of testimony, addressed over 2,000 questions in a public setting and additional questions in a confidential session. Not until the eve of his confirmation has Senator Feinstein or anyone raised the specter of new ‘information’ about him. Senator Schumer promised to ‘oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have,’ and it appears he is delivering with this 11th hour attempt to delay his confirmation.”
