Feinstein publishes a cryptic statement about the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh in the middle of an intrigue on a secret letter

Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., On Thursday launched an encrypted turn at Brett Kavanaugh, insinuating that the Supreme Court candidate could be convicted of a crime while Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are trying to delay his confirmation.

The vague accusation comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee has already celebrated with Kavanaugh and other witnesses and is preparing to vote on sending his appointment to the Senate. The White House blew up the ambiguous charge as a last-minute maneuver.

"I have received information from an individual regarding the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court," said Feinstein in his surprise statement. "This person strongly requested confidentiality, refused to come forward or pursue the matter, and I honored that decision. I have however referred the case to the federal investigation authorities. "

More about this …

A spokesman for Feinstein refused Fox News's request to extend the legislator's statement, but there has been much speculation that it refers to a secret letter that was the subject of intrigue on Capitol Hill. days. A source close to the confirmation process told Fox News that Feinstein had received the letter in July, but that it was not publicly known until Thursday.

According to a report from The Intercept, this letter was forwarded to lawmakers by a person affiliated with Stanford University and concerns an incident involving Kavanaugh, 53, and a woman while they were in high school. . According to two officials who spoke anonymously in the New York Times, the incident involved possible sexual misconduct between Kavanaugh and the woman.

The letter was reportedly given to Feinstein by the representative Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., But was not publicly disclosed by the senators who saw the document. Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Said the letter in question had been referred to the FBI for investigation.

Two sources familiar with the matter told Fox News that Feinstein had been in possession of the Kavanaugh letter since July. Feinstein met privately with Kavanaugh on August 20 and repeatedly interrogated him in open court during the Judiciary Committee hearings on his appointment last week. Nothing indicates that the case was raised during the private meeting or the in camera meeting.

The FBI conducts background checks on all key government appointees, including Supreme Court candidates.

"After receiving the information on the night of September 12, we included them in Judge Kavanaugh's briefing package, according to the standard process," the FBI said in a statement. Fox News has learned that the White House should ask the office to follow up on the letter so that the investigation can be continued. It was not clear if the White House had done it Thursday night.

The woman mentioned in the letter has not yet been identified, but she is represented by Debra Katz, a lawyer who works with survivors of #MeToo, according to The Intercept.

Despite the excitement of the letter, a spokesman for the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Chuck Grassley of R-Iowa, said there was no plan to delay Kavanaugh's confirmation. Grassley set the Kavanaugh panel vote for Sept. 20, and Republicans hope to confirm Kavanaugh before the new court session begins Oct. 1.

"Sen. Grassley is aware of Senator Feinstein's dismissal, "said Grassley's director of communications Taylor Foy in a statement. "At that moment, he did not see the letter in question and respects the request for confidentiality. There is no plan to change the consideration of the appointment committee of Judge Kavanaugh. "

The White House attacked Feinstein's statement as an 11-hour attack on the candidate.

"Throughout his confirmation process, Justice Kavanaugh had 65 meetings with Senators, including with Senator Feinstein, over 30 hours of testimony, over 2,000 questions in public and additional questions in a confidential session. "It is only the day before his confirmation that Senator Feinstein or anyone raised the specter of new" information "about him."

Jake Gibson, Mike Emanuel and John Roberts of Fox News contributed to this report.