The new FBI report on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh that was being reviewed by senators Thursday makes it clear that there is absolutely no reason to further delay the confirmation vote on his nomination. America would be well-served if the Senate seats this extraordinarily qualified judge on the nation’s highest court. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reviewed the FBI’s supplemental background investigation of charges of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh on Thursday morning. Grassley said: "There’s nothing in it that we didn’t already know. These uncorroborated accusations have been unequivocally and repeatedly rejected by Judge Kavanaugh, and neither the Judiciary Committee nor the FBI could locate any third parties who can attest to any of the allegations.” Furthermore, Grassley said that the FBI’s “investigation found no hint of misconduct.” The new FBI’s report supplements the sixth full-field FBI background investigation of Kavanaugh since 1993. The claims being made by Democrats that the FBI was somehow limited or curtailed in its investigation because it didn’t have enough time to conduct the probe show a woeful ignorance of the resources of the agency and the extensive manpower it can bring to bear. While this supplementary investigation looked at specific allegations made against Kavanaugh, the regular FBI background investigations Kavanaugh was subjected to earlier were very extensive, extremely thorough and open-ended. Such investigations often receive wide-ranging input from hundreds of people. Nevertheless, Kavanaugh’s critics reject any report that doesn’t provide the politically damaging conclusion they seek. And this supplemental report, which gives Kavanaugh a clean bill of health, definitely did not come out as they wanted. The level of investigation Kavanaugh has undergone is extraordinary. In fact, the Senate has received far more information about Kavanaugh than it has received about all prior Supreme Court nominees combined throughout American history. First came the six FBI background investigations of Kavanaugh. Then the Senate Judiciary Committee made public about 500,000 pages of documents dealing with Kavanaugh and his work. On top of this, the committee received tens of thousands of pages of Kavanaugh court opinions, articles and speeches. And Kavanaugh answered an unprecedented 1,278 post-hearing written questions from senators. So it is abundantly clear that senators have all of the information they need to do what they are tasked with doing under the Constitution: provide their advice and consent to President Trump’s nomination of Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Importantly, this is not the first time the Senate has had the opportunity to review Kavanaugh’s background, education and professional qualifications for an important judicial post. It did this 12 years ago when Kavanaugh was nominated to be an appellate court judge. At that time, the Senate found no valid reason to withhold its consent to Kavanaugh being seated on what many consider to be the second-highest court in the United States – the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. There is nothing in the record that has changed since then that should bar Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the nation’s highest court – other than uncorroborated accusations of sexual misconduct against him that the FBI has found no evidence to support. Compare these unproven claims against Kavanaugh’s nearly 30 years of a distinguished professional career in which those who have interacted with him have given him nothing but the highest praise. And Kavanaugh has received praise not only as an outstanding lawyer, jurist and mentor, but as a warm, decent and kind man involved with his family, his community and his church. Kavanaugh could have earned many times his government salary as a top lawyer in the private sector. But instead of focusing on enriching his family, he has dedicated the bulk of his career to public service. As Sen. Grassley said, what we know about Kavanaugh is that his “former clerks, colleagues, and friends from high school to the present acclaim his personal integrity and character.” Kavanaugh is probably one of the most qualified lawyers to ever be nominated for a position on the Supreme Court. He has more judicial experience than the vast majority of prior nominees to the high court – certainly more than current Justice Elena Kagan, who did not spend a single day as an appellate judge before she was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Yet she was easily and quickly confirmed with Republican support. We have been subjected to a constant demand for more and more information and more and more investigations dealing with Kavanaugh by Democratic senators who long ago announced they would oppose his appointment to the Supreme Court. These senators said they would not vote for Kavanaugh even before they had even examined his qualifications and his record. That tells you all you need to know about the current clamor against him. Democrats have mounted cruel and vicious personal attacks against Kavanaugh, his family and the Republican senators supporting his confirmation. Their goal is to stop a conservative who believes in the rule of law and the Constitution from being seated on the Supreme Court. The opposition to Kavanaugh has nothing to do with his qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court. It has everything to do with liberal efforts to turn the Supreme Court into another policy-making body like Congress that will implement their far-left public policy views. Kavanaugh’s opponents are willing to say anything and use any tactics – no matter how unfair and cruel – to prevent his confirmation. And are doing this not because of anything disqualifying in his background or professional qualifications, but simply because of the way they believe he will rule in cases before the Supreme Court The worst part of all of this is that – in addition to the terrible ordeal and defamation that Kavanaugh and his family have been put through – good people who could serve our nation with great distinction as judges and other government officials will be deterred from public service. During his Senate confirmation hearing in 1991, when he had to defend himself against allegations of sexual harassment, Supreme Court nominee and current Justice Clarence Thomas called the hearing “a circus” “a national disgrace” and “a high-tech lynching.”<doc-sep>Democrats on Thursday blasted the FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, calling it a "sham" and "a horrific cover-up." The lawmakers spoke after having access to the report in a secure facility, arguing that the investigation was limited in scope and incomplete, and claiming that the White House directed the FBI's probe, leaving key witnesses off the interview list. "The whole thing is sham. Five days to do the investigation," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Kaine noted that many witnesses who may have relevant information about the allegations were not interviewed. He cited Deborah Ramirez, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct while they were students at Yale; possible corroborating witnesses were not interviewed. "And so, here is what they do. There is now a report. One copy. Only one copy that's available in the Senate SCIF,” he said, referring to a secure location where lawmakers can read the report for a limited amount of time. "So they don't want 100 senators to read it. I'm not allowed to discuss it. The public can't see it. It's a complete sham." Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., had even harsher words. Just read the FBI report on Kavanaugh - if that’s an investigation, it’s a bullshit investigation. pic.twitter.com/9D8oeVMEoU — Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) October 4, 2018 Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., questioned the legitimacy of the probe in a tweet after being briefed on Thursday. “I read the FBI report. This whole thing is a sham. This stunted, strangled investigation was designed to provide cover, not to provide the truth,” he said. He later told CNN after reading the report: "This is an example of what a horrific cover-up this investigation is." Late Thursday, the office of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released its own "executive summary" of the FBI's findings. It concluded, "There is no corroboration of the allegations" made by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford or Ramirez. The summary included a list of people interviewed: Three named by Ford as having been at the party where she says she was assaulted, Mark Judge, P.J. Smyth and Leland Keyser; two people included on Kavanaugh's July 1, 1982, calendar entry, Timothy Gaudette and Christopher Garrett; and "an attorney for one of the witnesses." Grassley's office said the FBI interviewed Ramirez, two people she named as eyewitnesses and her "close friend from college." The summary said 11 people were contacted and 10 were interviewed. "The FBI reached out to all witnesses with potential firsthand knowledge of the allegations," it stated. "The FBI provided to the Senate 12 detailed ... reports summarizing their interviews with the witnesses as well as supporting materials cited by the witnesses during their interviews." Senators are not allowed to speak publicly about the contents of the FBI background check report, which is standard procedure in such cases. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., set a procedural vote on Kavanaugh for Friday that would put in motion a possible full Senate vote as early as Saturday. A protest was organized in Washington in front of in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Court on which Kavanaugh sits and in front of the Supreme Court. Several groups also planned protests for late Thursday and over the weekend. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., led one of the protests in front of the D.C Circuit Court. Earlier, the Massachusetts lawmaker said in a tweet that the report is evidence the GOP is trying to force Kavanaugh's confirmation process through "no matter the cost." "Not even a full week for an FBI investigation. ... This is a complete sham,” Warren said in a tweet. "@SenateMajLdr McConnell said he’d plow Brett Kavanaugh through, and that’s exactly what the GOP is doing — no matter the cost." Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., tweeted on Thursday that President Donald Trump "said he wanted a full background check. What he delivered was a whitewash. An investigation isn't legitimate if dozens of key witnesses are never interviewed. The Senate will be committing gross negligence if it confirms this nominee." Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that the FBI report is “woefully incomplete” and suggested that “it smacks of a whitewash, even a cover-up.” “There are certainly indications of misconduct that should have been pursued,” Blumenthal said. “It really is the story of unfollowed leads, unanswered questions and un-interviewed witnesses. And, It raises more questions than it answers.” He also said the FBI neglected its duty to fully follow up on claims, but he does not believe that the FBI is wholly responsible. “I think that the blame lies with White House that straitjacketed this investigation,” he said. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, said after being briefed on the report that there were "hints of misconduct." Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., with actor and comedian Amy Schumer, right, speaks at a rally against Brett Kavanaugh at the Supreme Court on Thursday. Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP "It’s very frustrating that they didn't do a thorough investigation, that they didn't interview all the relevant witnesses, that they didn't interview all the potential eyewitnesses, they didn't interview the corroborating witnesses," Booker said. "I’m actually shocked. I’m actually shocked." Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., also on the committee, said, "The White House obviously limited what they could look at and the White House obviously controlled the process and that raises questions of credibility in my mind." Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., another Senate Judiciary Committee member, said, "This so-called investigation leaves a lot more questions than answers." When asked if the report had any new information, she gave answered, "Nope."<doc-sep>Senate Republicans and Democrats clashed Thursday over the results of a supplemental FBI probe into allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, as a Friday vote to advance his nomination loomed. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said investigators had found nothing to corroborate the sexual-misconduct accusations against President Donald Trump’s nominee for the high court. “This investigation found no hint of misconduct,” said Grassley, an Iowa Republican. Also see: Kavanaugh’s confirmation odds are at their highest level as Senate reviews FBI report. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the probe “limited” and said he disagreed with Grassley’s statement that the report didn’t show misconduct. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, told reporters that the FBI’s report was the “product of an incomplete investigation” and noted that neither Kavanaugh nor one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, had been interviewed. In what could be a positive sign for Kavanaugh’s confirmation prospects, two key undecided Republican senators spoke approvingly of the report. Maine’s Susan Collins said the background probe “appears to be a very thorough investigation” but did not disclose how she would vote. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who triggered the limited re-examination of the nominee’s background by conditioning his committee vote late last week on a brief reopening of the process, said he saw “no additional corroborating information.” Senators reviewed the FBI’s findings as Republican leaders are pressing ahead with a planned Friday preliminary vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination. A final vote would then come over the weekend. Republicans have a 51-49 majority in the Senate, and can afford no more than one defection on Kavanaugh. With such a slim majority, the votes of senators such as Collins and Flake, as well as fellow Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, are critical. Trump, meanwhile, tweeted support for Kavanaugh on Thursday, saying that if this had been the 100th time the FBI investigated the judge, “it would still not be good enough for the Obstructionist Democrats.” Attorneys for Ford told FBI Director Christopher Wray in a letter that eight witnesses whom they’d requested be interviewed were not contacted. “The ‘investigation’ conducted over the past five days is a stain on the process, on the FBI and on our American ideal of justice,” wrote lawyers Debra Katz, Lisa Banks and Michael Bromwich.<doc-sep>WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 04: Comedian Amy Schumer waits to be led away after being arrested during a protest against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh October 4, 2018 at the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Senators had an opportunity to review a new FBI background investigation into accusations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh and Republican leaders are moving to have a vote on his confirmation this weekend. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Collins says she will vote 'yes' on Kavanaugh U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, considered one of the few possible Republican "no" votes on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, speaks to news media at Saint Anselm College, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (CNN) — Two key Republican senators who have been undecided on whether to vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh described the FBI’s findings of an investigation into President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee as a thorough report, contrasting with Democrats’ objections that the inquiry was rushed and incomplete. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Thursday that the FBI probe into allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate sexual behavior against Kavanaugh seems to be “very thorough” and said she would read the findings in full later in the day. “It appears to be a very thorough investigation,” Collins, who has not yet indicated how she plans to vote on the nomination, told reporters in the Capitol. Collins is among a handful of senators whose votes could decide the fate of the nomination. The Maine Republican – along with Republicans Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Democratic Joe Manchin of West Virginia – are under intense scrutiny for clues as to how they may vote on the nomination as Senate Republicans push for a final vote, which could happen as early as Saturday. LIVE UPDATES: Senators review Brett Kavanaugh’s FBI file Collins later clarified, “I’ve not yet finished going through all the materials.” Flake said Thursday morning that he agreed with Collins’ pronouncement that the investigation was thorough. When asked by CNN if he was more inclined to support Kavanaugh after leaving the staff briefing on the report, Flake responded, “we’ve seen no additional corroborating information” to the claims against Kavanaugh, and added he needs to finish reviewing the material. Flake pushed for the FBI probe last Friday following a day full of highly-charged testimony from Kavanaugh and the woman who accused him of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford. Flake agreed to vote Kavanaugh’s nomination out of committee with a favorable recommendation on the condition that the FBI further investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh, a push that Collins and Murkowski publicly supported. As for Murkowski, the Alaska senator left a closed-door briefing Thursday afternoon and said she was still reviewing the contents of the investigation. She said she wants to read the report herself when asked if she believed the investigation was thorough enough. “I’m not wasting any daylight here,” she responded. Murkowski said there were “readers” reading the report aloud to senators. Among Democrats, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota announced Thursday afternoon that she would vote against Kavanaugh’s nomination. Heitkamp, who is up for re-election this fall in a state that went overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016, made her announcement on North Dakota station WDAY, a CNN affiliate. “After doing my due diligence and now that the record is apparently closed, I will vote against his confirmation,” Heitkamp said in a statement, shortly thereafter. She cited Ford’s testimony and the reaction to that as part of the influence on her decision. “When I listened to Dr. Ford testify, I heard the voices of women I have known throughout my life who have similar stories of sexual assault and abuse,” Heitkamp said. “Countless North Dakotans and others close to me have since reached out and told me their stories of being raped or sexually assaulted – and expressed the same anguish and fear. I’m in awe of their courage, too.” Manchin, Heitkamp and Indiana Democrat Joe Donnelly were three Democrats who voted for Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, a fact Heitkamp cited in her decision. “I voted for Justice Gorsuch because I felt his legal ability and temperament qualified him to serve on the Supreme Court. Judge Kavanaugh is different,” Heitkamp said. “When considering a lifetime appointment to Supreme Court, we must evaluate the totality of the circumstances and record before us. In addition to the concerns about his past conduct, last Thursday’s hearing called into question Judge Kavanaugh’s current temperament, honesty, and impartiality.” Donnelly announced last week he would vote against Kavanaugh. Senate Republicans need a simple majority to clear a procedural hurdle on Friday to end debate on the nomination and advance to a confirmation vote as early as the following day. Kavanaugh has denied all allegations against him. CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — Two key Republican senators who have remained undecided on the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday praised a new FBI report detailing the agency's latest background investigation — comments that seemed to suggest the odds of confirmation might be moving in his direction — even as a potential Democratic swing vote announced her opposition. Their comments came as Senate Republicans on Thursday claimed that the FBI probe into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh had vindicated him by failing to uncover new evidence of wrongdoing, while Democrats blasted the speedy probe as "limited" and "incomplete," with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., saying that she had decided to vote against the nomination. "The process has been bad, but at the end of the day, you have to make a decision, and I’ve made that decision... I will be voting no on Judge Kavanaugh," Heitkamp told North Dakota's WDAY TV News. The Senate is set to take a key procedural vote on the nomination at 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday. If the measure passes — which requires a simple majority — a final floor vote could be held sometime this weekend. All eyes Thursday had been on Heitkamp and the handful of other senators who began the day publicly undecided on Kavanaugh's nomination: Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, along with one Democrat locked in a tough re-election fight: Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Collins said Thursday morning after a GOP morning briefing that she was still absorbing the new report, but sounded satisfied with its scope. “It appears to be a very thorough investigation," she said, adding that she still planned to "go back to personally read the interviews.” Flake, who is retiring, left the same briefing also saying he planned to go back and read more of the report — but added that he saw “no additional corroborating information” to back up misconduct allegations, calling the report “reassuring.” Flake, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, forced a delay in Kavanaugh’s confirmation process last week with his demand that the FBI investigate the allegations. And Murkowski said she was still undecided on Kavanaugh and will return later to finish. “My job is to listen carefully to the concerns of everyone. Ultimately there is a decision point, believe me,” she said. “I have not had the opportunity to go through it myself." By afternoon, several hundred protesters were demonstrating inside the Senate Hart Office Building, with signs that read "We Believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford," "Believe Survivors" and "Kavanaugh Lies" and chants of "Hey hey! Ho Ho! Kavanaugh has got to go!" Most Republicans quickly claimed the report vindicated the nominee. In a statement after receiving a staff briefing on the report, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said that the new report “found no hint of misconduct” and “there’s nothing in it that we didn’t already know,” he said. “These uncorroborated accusations have been unequivocally and repeatedly rejected by Judge Kavanaugh, and neither the Judiciary Committee nor the FBI could locate any third parties who can attest to any of the allegations,” he said. “There’s also no contemporaneous evidence. This investigation found no hint of misconduct and the same is true of the six prior FBI background investigations conducted during Judge Kavanaugh’s 25 years of public service.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the report amounted to an exoneration. "What we know for sure is the FBI report did not corroborate any of the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh," he said at a press conference with GOP senators Thursday afternoon, adding that "there’s no way anything we did would satisfy the Democrats." Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said that the first procedural vote on the nomination in the full Senate would occur "tomorrow morning," with a final vote slated for Saturday. Democrats and attorneys for women who have accused Kavanaugh of misconduct have been critical of the depth of the investigation and of some of the limits the White House, which had initially dismissed the need for a new probe, had placed on it. Top Democratic senators, meanwhile, expressed outrage Thursday that the FBI probe was limited in scope and incomplete. "We had many fears that this was a very limited process that would constrain the FBI from getting all the facts," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters at a press conference Thursday. "Those fears have been realized."