Politics

Democrat Senator Calls For Biden’s New AG To Examine ‘Fake’ Kavanaugh Investigation 

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• Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse called on the new attorney general Merrick Garland to examine the FBI’s “fake” investigation into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee released a final report into Kavanaugh’s alleged misconduct in November 2018, announcing that it found “no evidence” to corroborate the claims against him.
• But Whitehouse’s letter to Garland demanded answers on “how, why, and at whose behest” the FBI conducted a “fake” investigation, arguing that some people were unable to share their witness accounts with the FBI.

Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse called on the new attorney general Merrick Garland to examine the FBI’s “fake” investigation into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The Rhode Island Democrat suggested that the investigation into Kavanaugh’s conduct had been incomplete, and asked Garland to examine how thoroughly the FBI had investigated Kavanaugh.

“If standard procedures were violated, and the Bureau conducted a fake investigation rather than a sincere, thorough and professional one, that in my view merits congressional oversight to understand how, why, and at whose behest and with whose knowledge or connivance, this was done,” Whitehouse wrote in the letter.

Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh in September 2018 of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. Kavanaugh denied her allegations, and those of several other accusers as he defended himself in confirmation hearings broadcast around the world.

The Senate Judiciary Committee released a final report on the FBI investigations into Kavanaugh’s alleged misconduct in November 2018, announcing that it found “no evidence” to corroborate the claims against him. But some Democrats argued that the FBI did not conduct a complete background check on Kavanaugh and, as the Guardian noted, did not interview Ford and Kavanaugh as part of the investigation.

Whitehouse’s letter argued that some people were unable to share their witness accounts with the FBI.

“This was unique behavior in my experience, as the Bureau is usually amenable to information and evidence; but in this matter the shutters were closed, the drawbridge drawn up, and there was no point of entry by which members of the public or Congress could provide information to the FBI,” Whitehouse said in a letter to Garland.

He demanded answers on “how, why, and at whose behest” the FBI conducted this investigation.

Whitehouse also cited a “tip line” that the FBI created, saying that senators did not have enough information on how the FBI would process and evaluate new allegations and how the FBI had reviewed the “stack” of information it received through the tip line.

“This ‘tip line’ appears to have operated more like a garbage chute, with everything that came down the chute consigned without review to the figurative dumpster,” the Rhode Island Democrat said in the letter.

Whitehouse said he is seeking answers about “how, why, and at whose behest” the FBI conducted a “fake” investigation if standard procedures were violated, including standards for following allegations gathered through FBI “tip lines.”

“The FBI ‘stonewall’ of all questions related to this episode provides little reassurance of its propriety,” he wrote. “If, on the other hand, the ‘investigation’ was conducted with drawbridges up and a fake ‘tip line’ and that was somehow ‘by the book,’ as Director Wray claimed, that would raise serious questions about the ‘book’ itself. It cannot and should not be the policy of the FBI to not follow up on serious allegations of misconduct during background check investigations.”

Whitehouse did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.