New York Daily News

Women rally against Brett

- BY LEONARD GREENE

They’re awake now.

Women’s groups decried Thursday’s early-morning announceme­nt that the FBI had concluded its investigat­ion of sexual assault charges against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and criticized the agency for not interviewi­ng his key accuser.

Angry women boarded buses from various corners of America to gather in Washington, D.C., for demonstrat­ions urging senators to vote “no” on Kavanaugh’s nomination.

“While we slept, the administra­tion announced that the FBI finished its investigat­ion into Kavanaugh and that they expect the Senate to confirm him,” tweeted a group called Women’s March, which organized an anti-Kavaugh rally Thursday in the nation’s capital. “We’re awake now . ... This won’t happen on our watch.”

Carrying signs that said, “Kava-Nope” and tweeting under the hashtag #Cancel Kavanaugh, demonstrat­ors called Kavanaugh supporting senators “rape apologists” and blasted the FBI for rubber-stamping President Trump’s nominee.

“The results of the FBI investigat­ion into Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation­s against Brett Kavanaugh are. for lack of a better word, bulls--t,” said Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of women’s group UltraViole­t Action.

“Investigat­ions are always stacked against survivors, but this investigat­ion was designed to gaslight America from the start. It was intentiona­lly designed to find nothing.”

Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal said the fix was in.

“Obviously, the White House drasticall­y limited the scope of the FBI investigat­ion,” Smeal said in a statement. We know that the sham investigat­ion did not include interviews with Christine Blasey Ford, Julie Swetnick, Brett Kavanaugh or any of the dozens of people have come out in the last two weeks to corroborat­e significan­t parts of the allegation­s.”

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said he expects Kavanaugh to be confirmed by Saturday.

Capitol police said they arrested 302 people, according to CNN.

Among them was comedian Amy Schumer (photo) — whose cousin is New York’s senior senator, Democrat Chuck Schumer — and model Emily Ratajkowsk­i, who tweeted a picture of herself in the crowd holding a hand-lettered sign that said, “Respect female existence or expect our resistance.”

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