Washington, D.C. - People For the American Way is calling for a Senate investigation and hearings in the wake of reports that the FBI has responded to an inquiry by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Sen. Chris Coons regarding the bureau’s truncated and opaque investigation of sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh. The FBI probe took place during the process of confirming Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. As reported, the FBI’s response raises more questions than it answers and suggests that the Trump administration inappropriately controlled the Kavanaugh investigation. It raises numerous questions about whether the more than four thousand tips received on an FBI tip line related to Kavanaugh were ever investigated. It also raises questions as to whether important witnesses, including Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh himself, were not interviewed by the FBI as a result of orders from the White House.
“The questions raised by the FBI’s response to Sen. Whitehouse and Sen. Coons about its investigation of Brett Kavanaugh are absolutely mind-blowing,” said People For the American Way President Ben Jealous. “It is more clear than ever that the corrupt Trump administration was pulling the strings during this deeply flawed investigation and may very well have prevented leads from being followed and witnesses from being interviewed. We fully support the call of Democratic senators for more information on how the FBI processed tips it received during the Kavanaugh investigation. We are also calling for the Senate to investigate and hold hearings on how this investigation was mishandled and the disturbing evidence of Trump administration interference. Every day brings more evidence of how the previous administration corrupted and undermined our democracy, and our current national leadership has a duty to expose and remedy these abuses so they can never happen again.”
See letter from Democratic senators calling for the FBI to clarify its process for handling tips received on its Kavanaugh investigation tip line, here: https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/210721_FBI%20Kavanaugh%20Follow-up%20Letter1.pdf.
About People For the American Way
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org.