Kavanaugh: Senate panel’s procedural vote on Friday
WASHINGTON: US senators on Thursday reviewed a report from the FBI on sex assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as President Donald Trump, the White House and Republicans signalled there was nothing in the findings to prevent his confirmation.
“It’s time to vote,” said Chuck Grassley, the Republican heading the Senate judiciary committee, which will hold a procedural vote on Friday. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the panel, called the report “a product of an incomplete investigation” limited in scope by the White House.
The FBI did not interview Kavanaugh or one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford.
The senators will continue to review the report into Friday as they are granted access to it — a single copy split in parts in a secure room in a US Congress facility called the sensitive compartmented information facility by rotation; one hour for Republicans followed by one for Democrats and so on. The White House received the report , which has not been made public yet, on Thursday and forwarded it to the Senate panel. “With this additional information, the White House is fully confident the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” said Raj Shah, deputy White House press secretary.
The clean chit was endorsed by President Trump in a tweet on Thursday in which he slammed “mean & despicable Democrats” for making “totally uncorroborated allegations” against the nominee. Ford has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. Deborah Ramirez, a lawyer, has accused the nominee of sexual misconduct when they were in college.