Kavanaugh can't explain why FBI shouldn't investigate allegations
Kavanaugh says he’s innocent, but he doesn’t want an FBI investigation that would supposedly exonerate him.
Trump has blocked an FBI investigation into allegations that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh tried to rape a girl when they were both in high school, but Kavanaugh himself can’t explain why such a probe should not be undertaken.
On Monday night, Kavanaugh sat for a softball interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum, but even in that friendly setting, he couldn’t answer an obvious question.
“Do you believe there should be an FBI investigation into these allegations and that a pause should happen and, you know, sort it all out?” MacCallum asked. “If there’s nothing to worry about and nothing to hide, why not have that process?”
Kavanaugh did not answer the question, instead saying only that he wants to be heard and repeating his denial.
He went on to claim that he wants “a fair process” during which he can “clear my name as quickly as I can, in whatever forum the Senate deems appropriate.”
Kavanaugh seems to think a “fair process” is one in which none of the other witnesses are questioned. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault, has called on the the FBI to investigate and has also suggested witnesses and evidence to corroborate her story.
But in a letter Kavanaugh sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday, he did not call for a thorough investigation, instead saying that giving credence to the allegations against him “will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service.”
An FBI investigation is, of course, appropriate. When Anita Hill made credible allegations of sexual harassment against Clarence Thomas during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1991, the Bush White House ordered an FBI investigation. It was completed in three days.
The need for a thorough investigation is now even more urgent, as new allegations against Kavanaugh have emerged. Instead, Republicans have insisted on a sham hearing without an investigation, and have even refused to compel testimony from Mark Judge, the Kavanaugh friend and high school classmate who was allegedly present during the assault.
If Kavanaugh really has nothing to hide, he should welcome an FBI investigation and demand that all potential witnesses testify. That he is not doing so raises far more questions about him.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
Recommended
More than half of Republican Jay Ashcroft’s funding comes from outside Missouri
Ashcroft has criticized other campaigns for relying on out-of-state donors
By Jesse Valentine - April 25, 2024Battleground GOP candidates rally around Trump’s tax cuts for the rich
Even Larry Hogan, a Trump critic, supports the former president’s tax policy.
By Jesse Valentine - April 12, 2024A deleted tweet and a fundraising plea: Mike Rogers bends the knee to Trump
Trump endorsed Rogers’ U.S. Senate campaign on March 12
By Jesse Valentine - March 20, 2024