Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., called on the nation’s new attorney general, Merrick Garland, to examine the FBI’s “fake” investigation into allegations that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted a fellow high school student.
The Rhode Island Democrat suggested that the FBI’s investigation into Kavanaugh’s conduct had been incomplete, and asked Garland to examine how thoroughly the FBI had investigated Kavanaugh, according to The Guardian.
The publication noted that the letter could push the Justice Department to address questions about the Kavanaugh investigation, though it may not result in the FBI re-examining the matter.
Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh in September 2018 of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. Kavanaugh denied her allegations, and those of several other accusers, as he defended himself in confirmation hearings broadcast around the world.
The Senate Judiciary Committee released a final report on the FBI investigations into Kavanaugh’s alleged misconduct in November 2018, announcing that it found “no evidence” to corroborate the claims against him.
But some Democrats argued that the FBI did not conduct a complete background check on Kavanaugh and, as The Guardian noted, did not interview Ford and Kavanaugh as part of the investigation.
Whitehouse’s letter argued that some people were unable to share their witness accounts with the FBI, according to The Guardian.
“This was unique behavior in my experience, as the Bureau is usually amenable to information and evidence; but in this matter the shutters were closed, the drawbridge drawn up, and there was no point of entry by which members of the public or Congress could provide information to the FBI,” Whitehouse said in his letter to Garland.
He demanded answers on “how, why, and at whose behest” the FBI conducted a “fake” investigation, The Guardian reported.
Whitehouse also cited a “tip line” that the FBI created, saying that senators did not have enough information on how the FBI would process and evaluate new allegations and how the FBI had reviewed the “stack” of information it received through the tipline.
“This ‘tip line’ appears to have operated more like a garbage chute, with everything that came down the chute consigned without review to the figurative dumpster,” the Rhode Island Democrat said in the letter.
Whitehouse said he is seeking answers about “how, why, and at whose behest” the FBI conducted a “fake” investigation if standard procedures were violated, including standards for following allegations gathered through FBI “tip lines.”
Whitehouse did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation.
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