LUKE BARNES VIA Think Progress
On the heels of reports that the FBI is pushing to wrap up its investigation into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, lawyers representing his most prominent accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, said they are still waiting to hear from investigators.
Citing sources, NBC News reported Tuesday that federal agents would not interview Ford, who also goes by Dr. Blasey professionally, because the White House reportedly felt that Ford’s testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee had already enough.
In response, Ford’s lawyers excoriated the FBI in a letter, saying they have heard nothing from the agency regarding their offer for an interview.
“We also sent [the FBI] a series of emails and letters in which we identified witnesses and evidence that would likely assist the FBI in its investigation into Mr. Kavanaugh’s sexual assault of Dr. Ford and asked you to forward them to the supervisory agent,” the letter from Michael Bromwich and Debra Katz read. “Despite these efforts, we have received no response from anyone involved in this investigation, and no response to our offer for Dr. Ford to be interviewed.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the FBI probe could conclude as early as Tuesday or Wednesday — several days ahead of the deadline — but will not be released to the public.
On Monday the White House authorized the FBI to conduct a broader review of the sexual misconduct claim against Brett Kavanaugh, with sources telling CBS Newsthat they can interview anyone deemed necessary. Donald Trump had seemingly confirmed this over the weekend, tweeting, “I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate.”
So far, however, the FBI has only interviewed at least four potential witnesses, whereas Senate Democrats have asked them to interview at least two dozen. Julie Swetnick, the third woman to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, will not be interviewed, despite repeated requests from Swetnick’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti.
“It is critically important that the public be informed of any hidden effort to limit the scope of the FBI investigation,” Avenatti said previously. “The scope should be unlimited and the FBI should be tasked with determining whether an allegation is credible—as they do every day in this country.”
Meanwhile, attorneys representing Deborah Ramirez, Kavanaugh’s second accuser who said that he exposed himself to her at a college party, said they’d provided investigators with more than 20 names of people who could corroborate her story. However, investigators have reportedly not reached out to any of them. Similarly, one unnamed classmate of Kavanaugh said the investigation into the Judge’s past was far too restrictive and was just being used as an alibi for Republicans to support the nomination.
The latest frustration about the FBI investigation comes on the same day The New York Times unearthed letters from Kavanaugh’s high school days showing he was a much harder drinker than he previously admitted, noting on one page that whoever arrived first at a rented house in Ocean City, Maryland, for a weeklong getaway should “warn the neighbors that we’re loud, obnoxious drunks with prolific pukers among us.”
According to the Times, one of Kavanaugh’s classmates has reached out to the FBI because they believe Kavanaugh had not been previously forthright about the extent of his drinking.
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