Democrats vow a perjury probe

House Democrats will open an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct and perjury against Judge Brett Kavanaugh if they win control of the House next month, Representative Jerrold Nadler, who is in line to be the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said on Friday.

Speaking on the eve of Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote last week, Nadler said there was evidence that Senate Republicans and the FBI had overseen a “whitewash” investigation of the allegations and the legitimacy of the Supreme Court was at stake. He sidestepped the issue of impeachment.

“It is not something we are eager to do,” Nadler said in an interview. “But the Senate having failed to do its proper constitutionally mandated job of advise and consent, we are going to have to do something to provide a check and balance, to protect the rule of law and to protect the legitimacy of one of our most important institutions.”

Nadler’s comments resembled those of Senate Democrats who pushed aggressively for an FBI investigation into allegations by three women — Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick — that Kavanaugh had engaged in sexual assault or misconduct. Democrats said the resulting investigation fell far short of legitimacy.