U S Senators Spar Over Kavanaugh’S FBI Report
One
copy of the report exists for all 100 senators to read. Democrats said it was
incomplete and Republicans retorted it did not support the accusations.
Judge
Kavanaugh has vehemently denied all allegations against him.
A
confirmation vote is expected on Saturday. His appointment would tilt the court
in favour of conservatives.
The
court's nine justices are appointed for life and have the final say on some of
the most contentious issues in US public life, from abortion to gun control and
voting laws.
Given Republicans
slender 51-49 majority in the Senate, the nominee's fate has hinged on five
undecided senators - three Republicans and two Democrats.
Republicans
have accused Democrats of seeking to delay the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh
in the hope they will make gains in the mid-term elections in November and stop
his appointment altogether.
As
senators feuded over the report's findings, police began arresting more than
300 protesters who had gathered in a Senate office building to oppose the
nominee.
During
a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck
Grassley said: "We're just about 48 hours away from having a new person
the Supreme Court."
In a statement earlier after reading the report, he said the FBI
had "found no hint of misconduct".
The report contains
summaries of interviews that the FBI has conducted. Nine people were reportedly
interviewed, but not Judge Kavanaugh, 53, or the woman who first accused him of
sexual assault.
It
is in paper format only and no copies will be made. It is being held in a
secure room in the basement of the Capitol building, known as a Sensitive
Compartmented Information Facility, or "Skif"
Senators have been
told not to reveal its contents, but some have already begun to describe its
findings.
Senator
Bob Corker said the report is 46 pages long.
Democrats have
raised concerns the investigation has been too narrow in scope, with key
witnesses not interviewed.
In
a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday, the lawyers for the
first woman accusing Judge Kavanaugh of sexual assault, Professor Christine
Blasey Ford, criticised investigators for not speaking with more than a dozen
alleged witnesses whose names she provided.
Republican Senator
Jeff Flake of Arizona - like other Republicans - said the report contained
"no additional corroborating information".
Moderate
Republican Susan Collins of Maine said it "appears very thorough".
Another
key Republican Senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, told Bloomberg she did not
believe that if confirmed Judge Kavanaugh would overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973
ruling that legalised abortion in the US.
They
have yet to reveal their voting intentions.
A
closely watched Democrat, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, said on Thursday
afternoon she would vote against the nominee.
"In
addition to the concerns about his past conduct," she said in a statement,
"last Thursday's hearing called into question Judge Kavanaugh's current
temperament, honesty, and impartiality."
Another
key Democrat, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, has yet to declare whether he will
support the nominee.
If
all Democrats vote against confirming Judge Kavanaugh, Republicans can only
afford one defection - since in a tie, Vice-President Mike Pence would have the
casting vote.
Six days later, the
Senate is where it was before the reopened FBI background check of Brett
Kavanaugh began. The confirmation vote was, at its heart, a political decision
then. It's a political decision now.
The
conservative president has his conservative nominee, and the conservative
majority in the Senate is predisposed to put that man on the Supreme Court for
life.
The
biggest sign that this process is heading toward a successful conclusion for
Judge Kavanaugh is that, with the investigation concluded, Democrats are
fighting about the process by which it was conducted. If there were some
explosive revelation, it would have been blasted from the rooftops by now.
Instead,
key on-the-fence Republicans like Jeff Flake and Susan Collins are dropping
hints they are satisfied with the results. The Senate procedural machinery is
grinding toward a final weekend vote.
After
all the tumult of the past few days, Judge Kavanaugh could be Justice Kavanaugh
by the time the Supreme Court reconvenes next week.
Last week Prof Ford
testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Brett Kavanaugh had assaulted
her when they were teenagers in the 1980s.
She
said he was drunk and had pinned her on to a bed, tried to remove her clothing
and put his hand over her mouth when she screamed.
Another woman,
Deborah Ramirez, has accused the nominee of exposing himself to her during a
drinking game when they were students at Yale University in the 1980s.
After Prof Ford's
testimony, the Senate panel approved Judge Kavanaugh's nomination, but asked
for the FBI to conduct further inquiry before the full chamber voted on his
appointment to America's top court.
However,
the FBI did not examine allegations made by a third woman, Julie Swetnick, that
Judge Kavanaugh was involved in the drugging and sexual assault of girls at
house parties in the 1980s. He has described that allegation as a
"joke".
The remit of the FBI
investigation came from the White House, and some US media reports have said it
decided not to ask the FBI to interview Prof Ford or Judge Kavanaugh.
The White
House Counsel's office believes that the sworn testimony from both
in front of the Senate committee last week is sufficient, CNN reported.
FROM .bbc.com/news/world-us-canada
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