Kavanaugh accuser turns the tables on GOP with demand for FBI probe

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault and attempted rape, just flipped the script on her critics and called for an FBI investigation to be conducted before she testifies at next week’s congressional hearing.

Ford is accusing Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were both in high school. Although she first spoke about the incident years ago and went to the Washington Post in July, her full story and identity were not released until this week.

Immediately, Republicans pounced and tried to discredit her by calling into question her character, her story, the timing, and everything else they could think of.

But on Tuesday, Ford turned things around on her detractors when she publicly called for the FBI to investigate her claims — effectively challenging them to join her in calling for one.

Ford made the request in a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley. In the letter, her attorneys write that “a full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions.”

The request was made on the same day that the Judiciary Committee announced it had postponed the vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination scheduled for Thursday.

The FBI conducts background investigations on certain government employees, including potential Supreme Court justices. By the time Ford’s accusations came to light, the FBI had already completed its background investigation of Kavanaugh, but a former agent said it wouldn’t be unusual to conduct a second probe in light of new information.

Background investigations are different than criminal ones, though. They require someone to request the investigation before the FBI can move forward.

In this case, the person who must request the more thorough investigation into Kavanaugh’s background, including the accusations against him, is Trump. Thus far, the White House has indicated that it is not willing to make such a request, so it remains unclear if the accusations will be fully investigated.

But by publicly calling for a full investigation, Ford is signaling that she wants the public to know the truth about what happened. And if that request is refused, one must wonder why Trump is so scared to let investigators dig any deeper into his nominee’s background.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.