Advertisement Senate Judiciary chair says no Kavanaugh misconduct in FBI report; Dems slam it as 'incomplete' Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A top Senate Republican said Thursday the confidential FBI report on charges that Brett Kavanaugh sexually abused women three decades ago "found no hint of misconduct" by the Supreme Court nominee.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, made his remarks — and urged his colleagues to confirm the conservative judge — in a written statement hours after the post-midnight delivery of the FBI document to Congress. With Kavanaugh's uncertain prospects for approval depending in part on the decisions of five wavering senators, lawmakers began viewing the document in a secure room in the Capitol complex."There's nothing in it that we didn't already know," Grassley said, basing his comment on a briefing he said he'd received from committee aides. He added, "This investigation found no hint of misconduct."Democrats have complained that the FBI's reopening of its Kavanaugh background check has been far too limited, leaving out contact with crucial potential witnesses.The ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Diane Feinstein of California, slammed the investigation saying it was incomplete. "The most notable part of this report is what's not in it," said Feinstein. She said the White House may have limited the probe.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he disagrees with a statement by the committee's GOP chairman that the report found "no hint of misconduct" by Kavanaugh.Schumer is calling for the report to be made public as well the directive the White House gave the FBI ordering the investigation.Grassley said the FBI could not "locate any third parties who can attest to any of the allegations," and he said there is "no contemporaneous evidence." He provided no specific detail.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has already started a process that will produce a crucial test vote in his polarized chamber Friday on Kavanaugh's fate. Should Republicans get the majority of votes they need — and Vice President Mike Pence is available to cast the tie-breaker, if necessary — that would set up a decisive roll call on his confirmation, likely over the weekend."Senators ought to wipe away the muck from all the mudslinging and politics and look at this nomination with clear eyes," Grassley said, echoing accusations against Democrats that McConnell has been making. He added, "It's time to vote. I'll be voting to confirm Judge Kavanaugh."White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that "we didn't learn anything new and based on what we knew before, we felt very confident." And she said the White House is eager for the Senate to vote on the nomination.She's declined to say whether the president has read or been briefed on the FBI report. But Sanders said "the president's aware and feels very confident in his selection and his support" of Kavanaugh.Three women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in separate incidents in the 1980s. Kavanaugh, 53, now a judge on the powerful District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, has denied the claims.In a statement Wednesday night, lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford say the additional FBI background investigation didn’t include interviewing Ford or the witnesses they say corroborate her testimony. In that light, they say it can’t be called an investigation.Ford’s lawyers go on to say they are “profoundly disappointed” that those directing the probe “were not interested in seeking the truth.”While the FBI interviews were to focus on sexual assault allegations, although Democrats have also called into question his drinking habits during high school and college and dishonest comments they say he's made about his background. Kavanaugh has said stories of bad behavior while drinking are exaggerated.