Christine Blasey Ford's attorneys rip into the FBI over its renewed Brett Kavanaugh investigation
- Christine Blasey Ford's lawyers are scolding the FBI for failing to contact Ford about her claim the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers in the 1980s.
- In a letter addressed to FBI Director Chris Wray and the general counsel Dana Boente, Ford's attorneys lay out the steps they took to offer their client's cooperation.
- Ford's attorneys say they heard nothing from anyone at the bureau; they say it is "inconceivable" that the agency could conduct a deeper inquiry into the allegations against Kavanaugh without interviewing Ford.
- The FBI is days into a reopened investigation of Kavanaugh's background, which was expected to include an examination of various sexual misconduct claims, among other things. The bureau has interviewed Mark Judge, one of Kavanaugh's close friends who Ford named as having direct knowledge of the alleged attack.
- Negotiations among lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee last week spurred the new investigation. President Donald Trump ordered the FBI to get started shortly after.
Christine Blasey Ford's lawyers are scolding the FBI for failing to contact Ford about her claim the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted when they were teenagers in the 1980s.
In a letter addressed to FBI Director Chris Wray and the general counsel Dana Boente, Ford's attorneys lay out the steps they took to offer Ford's cooperation, which they said began with a Friday night conversation with Boente.
Ford's attorneys say they heard nothing from anyone at the bureau since that Friday night phone call, and they say it is "inconceivable" that the agency could conduct a deeper inquiry into the allegations against Kavanaugh without interviewing Ford.
"We also sent you a series of emails and letters in which we identified witnesses and evidence that would likely assist the FBI in its investigation into Mr. Kavanaugh's sexual assault of Dr. Ford and asked you to forward them to the supervisory agent," the letter reads.
"Despite these efforts, we have received no response from anyone involved in this investigation and no response to our offer for Dr. Ford to be interviewed."
Several news outlets on Tuesday, including NBC News, cited sources who said the FBI does not plan to interview Ford or Kavanaugh.
Ford gave hours of testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, in which she outlined in extensive detail her claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a high school party in the 1980s, and talked about the emotional and psychological trauma she says followed her for years after the alleged attack.
Republican leaders hired Arizona sex-crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell to question Ford during the hearing. Afterward, Mitchell told Republican senators in a memo that a "reasonable prosecutor" would not bring charges against Kavanaugh based solely on Ford's testimony.
Kavanaugh denies any wrongdoing. During his testimony to the committee, he said he does not deny that Ford was sexually assaulted "at some point in her life."
Several other women have accused Kavanaugh of various forms of sexual misconduct. He denies those accusations as well.
Meanwhile, Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court hangs in the balance. Senate Republicans have indicated they intend to vote on the matter, despite the renewed FBI probe. President Donald Trump, who nominated Kavanaugh in July, has defended his pick, but appeared to temper the endorsement in recent days.
"A lot is going to depend on what comes back from the FBI in terms of their additional - No. 7 - investigation," Trump said.
On Tuesday, while speaking with reporters at the White House, he acknowledged the rising suspicions about whether Kavanaugh had been truthful to senators on questions about his high school and college-age drinking habits.
Several of Kavanaugh's former classmates have contradicted his assertions that he never drank excessively or behaved inappropriately while intoxicated, raising questions about whether Kavanaugh could have lied while under oath. To that, Trump said it is not "acceptable" to lie to Congress.