« It is illegal to obstruct Committee investigations. »
REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert
A man contacted Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R. I.) with claims that he knew someone sexually assaulted by Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He was lying and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) want him to be charged with perjury.
The man, whose name has been redacted from all documentation, claimed he was “a close acquaintance” of someone who was sexually assaulted by Judge Kavanaugh on a houseboat in Rhode Island.
Judge Kavanaugh “categorically denied” the accusations during an interview on September 25. The next day, the man “recanted” his allegation and apologized on social media.
The man tweeted, “Do [Sic] everyone who is going crazy about what I had said I have recanted because I have made a mistake and apologize for such mistake.”
Sen. Grassley was not happy about the false allegation and he plans to use his authority to make sure no other false allegations come forward.
In a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice, Sen. Grassley wrote:
« Committee investigations in support of the judicial nomination process are an essential part of the Committee’s constitutional role. The Committee is grateful to citizens who come forward with relevant information in good faith, even if they are not one hundred percent sure about what they know.
But when individuals provide fabricated allegations to the Committee, diverting Committee resources during time-sensitive investigations, it materially impedes our work. Such acts are not only unfair; they are potentially illegal. It is illegal to make materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements to Congressional investigators. It is illegal to obstruct Committee investigations.
Accordingly, in light of the seriousness of these facts, and the threat these types of actions pose to the Committee’s ability to perform its constitutional duties, I hope you will give this referral the utmost consideration. »
Sen. Grassley specifically requested that Sessions charge the man using U. S. C. §§ 1001 and 1505, which address false statements and obstruction, respectively.
It is not yet clear what actions the Department of Justice plan to take follow Sen. Grassley’s request.
