President Trump has not asked the FBI to look into the sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as of Monday afternoon, according to…
President Trump has not asked the FBI to look into the sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as of Monday afternoon, according to Bloomberg News.
Two people familiar with the matter told the news outlet that in order for an additional investigation to take place, the White House would need to request one since Kavanaugh’s initial background check has been completed.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill on whether Trump has requested the FBI take action.
Christine Blasey Ford came forward on Sunday and publicly discussed her allegations against Kavanaugh for the first time, days before a scheduled vote on his nomination by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Ford, now a 51-year-old professor in California, detailed what she said took place at a party in the 1980s when both she and Kavanaugh were high school students.
She alleges that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, tried to rip her clothes off and “groped her.” Ford said Kavanaugh put his hand over her mouth when she attempted to scream for help.
The limited amount of evidence could make it difficult for the FBI to launch a full investigation, Bloomberg reported.
Ronald Hosko, a former senior FBI agent who’s now president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, told Bloomberg that the accusations have triggered a “very large political chess match.”
He said that if asked to investigate, the FBI would probably begin by meeting with both Kavanaugh and Ford while searching for corroborating information.
“You can go get yearbooks and start interviewing high school classmates,” Hosko said. “For creative-minded FBI people, they can generate leads all day long.”
He said he thinks the White House will protect the FBI from being pulled into a political debate.
“The FBI is basically working for the White House,” Hosko told Bloomberg. “Their job is to dig into the details and let the White House counsel know if there is derogatory information.”
Kavanaugh denied Ford’s allegations on Monday, calling them “completely false. »
Both Ford and Kavanaugh said they are willing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. All Democrats on the panel have demanded that the Thursday vote be postponed until their testimony is heard.
Trump said Monday that Kavanaugh’s nomination could be delayed but predicted it will “work out very well.” He called Kavanaugh a “very special guy” who has “never even had a little blemish on his record.”
The Senate should “hear everybody out” when it comes to the allegations, the president added.
