White House reportedly sees no assault corroboration in FBI's Kavanaugh report

The White House has examined interviews conducted by the FBI into allegations that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted two women in the early 1980s and "has found no corroboration of the allegations," The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. "It was unclear whether the White House, which for weeks has raised doubts about the allegations, had completed its review of the FBI interview reports," the Journal says, and the "senators who will decide Mr. Kavanaugh's fate are set to review the findings on Thursday, and some of them may draw different conclusions."

Republicans, who agreed to the investigation only after a few conflicted Republicans demanded it, say that if the FBI's supplemental background investigation doesn't include any bombshell revelations, Kavanaugh should be confirmed. Democrats and potential witnesses are complaining the the investigation was too constrained to be credible.

"President Trump has insisted publicly he was not curtailing the FBI probe," The Washington Post reports. "But privately, the White House restricted the FBI from delving deeply into Kavanaugh's youthful drinking and exploring whether he had lied to Congress about his alcohol use, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Post could only confirm six witnesses interviewed by the FBI, including one of his accusers, Deborah Ramirez, but not the other, Christine Blasey Ford. "We are profoundly disappointed that after the tremendous sacrifice she made in coming forward, those directing the FBI investigation were not interested in seeking the truth," Ford's lawyers said Wednesday night. Kavanaugh himself was reportedly not interviewed either.

Only one copy of the FBI's report will be available for viewing, and senators will view it in shifts in a secure location on Thursday. Senate GOP leaders say it will not be made public.