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The WASHINGTON Republicans announced Monday that they would not restrict the FBI's questions as part of its investigation into sexual assault charges against Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh, but have announced that they will not be able to restrict FBI issues. They were planning to have an amicable vote this week after confirmation.
President Trump said Monday that he wanted an "exhaustive" investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, although he also said he wanted speedy action on the part of the agency. . Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) Said that the Senate would start voting this week on Judge Kavanaugh, which means that there would not be much time left between the end of the FBI investigation and such votes.
The Republicans on Monday repressed criticisms that they rushed through a summary investigation and bothered to say that if they were limited to "current and credible" allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, they had never said to the FBI what people to interview. The FBI has already started talking to several witnesses related to Dr. Ford's allegations, according to their lawyers.
"We did not give them a list," Senate whip John Cornyn (R., Texas) told reporters on Monday. "The agreement was [look into] current and credible claims, "he said.
Mr. Trump is willing to give up his support to Judge Kavanaugh based on the outcome of the FBI investigation. "I'm waiting, just like you," he says. "Certainly if they find something, I'll take it into account. … I have very open mind. "
Although the FBI spoke to several people, they did not speak to Christine Blasey Ford, a university professor in California, who for the first time brought the charges of misconduct against Judge Kavanaugh. The FBI spoke to Mark Judge, who, according to Dr. Ford, was present when she was sexually assaulted by Judge Kavanaugh at a party at home while they were teenagers, according to Dr. Ford, who was present when she was sexually assaulted by Judge Kavanaugh at a house party while they were teenagers, according to Mr. Judge's lawyer. The interview with Mr. Judge is not complete, said the lawyer.
The investigators also spoke to Deborah Ramirez, who told the New Yorker that Judge Kavanaugh exposed herself to her while she was drunk while at Yale University, according to her lawyer. Judge Kavanaugh denied all allegations of sexual misconduct and called them political smear.
A lawyer for P.J. Smyth, one of the boys identified by Dr. Ford as also present at the rally, said Monday that his client had spoken to the FBI. Mr Smyth repeated his previous statement, claiming that he knew nothing about the allegations, said Eric Bruce's lawyer.
The FBI refused to comment.
Trump stressed on Monday an aspect of what Judge Kavanaugh said last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has attracted more and more attention: its juvenile alcohol consumption, particularly its He was truthful in describing how much he had been drinking. Answering questions after an event regarding a new trade deal, Trump praised Judge Kavanaugh, congratulating him for conceding that he had sometimes drunk too much. "I was surprised at how much he liked beer and he had a bit of trouble."
Mr Trump went on to say that he was not drinking and "can honestly say that I have never drunk beer in my life". He added, "Can you imagine, if I had drunk, what a mess I would be? I would be the worst in the world. "
For the White House and Senate GOP leaders, the purpose of the FBI's investigation is to address the concerns of the critical group of undecided GOP Senators who said they needed more information before they could support Judge Kavanaugh. The Republican Sense Jeff Flake of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska all said the FBI should be free to follow the results of the survey this week.
Mr. Flake said he discussed the investigation with colleagues from the Senate and the White House Council Office. "We certainly want the FBI to do a real investigation and we are working to make that happen," Flake told a Boston audience.
Although Justice Kavanaugh categorically asserted Dr. Ford's specific allegation, he stated that even though he sometimes drank too much beer, he never evaporated. On Monday, it was unclear whether the FBI would turn to a third woman, Julie Swetnick, who said in the early 1980s that she had attended parties where Judge Kavanaugh "attacked" the coup and "Targeted" women, seizing them without their consent.
An FBI investigation into the charges against Judge Brett Kavanaugh could decide the fate of the proposed candidate to President Trump's Supreme Court. Shelby Holliday, WSJ, examines key senators to watch for before the confirmation vote. Photo: Getty Images
The substantive debate over whether Kavanaugh J. was sincere about his drinking habits in his testimony intensified on Monday, while additional classmates said the candidate had drunk more than He had not claimed it.
Chad Ludington, classmate of Judge Kavanaugh at Yale, said Sunday in a statement to several media outlets that he had seen Judge Kavanaugh "stunned by his drinking" and that he was "often bellicose and aggressive" when he was drunk, even starting a fight that ended with a common friend going to jail.
"Many on my side felt that Judge Kavanaugh had made general assertions about facts where there was already conflicting evidence in the press from classmates or roommates," said Sen. Chris Coons (D. Del.), Member of the Judiciary Committee,.
The White House issued statements from two other Yale classmates, claiming that they had never seen Judge Kavanaugh totally deprived of his drink or his aggressive behavior while being drunk.
A relative of Judge Kavanaugh said the judge was frustrated with the current situation but hoped that it would be clearly justified by the FBI investigation. "He is not happy with the process," said this person. "But in a way, he is comforted by the fact that there will be a conclusion that, hopefully, will erase his name."
Republicans said the issues surrounding Judge Kavanaugh's drinking were an example of democrats who "moved the goals" over their claims.
"The hour of delays and endless obstruction is over," McConnell told the Senate. Although Mr. Flake and other undecided GOP Senators have stated that they will not vote for Judge Kavanaugh until the FBI completes his report, Mr. McConnell could still go through a procedural step. this week to pave the way for a faster Senate vote once the office is done with his work. The FBI investigation, which is expected to last up to a week, was negotiated by Mr. Flake and the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Last Friday, Flake took advantage of the threat of suspending his support for Judge Kavanaugh to force GOP leaders, who have a decisive advantage of 51-49 in the Senate.
Legislators said they hoped to get detailed readings from the FBI before asking them to vote. Mr. Cornyn stated that he was waiting for the FBI to question the senators after "questioning witnesses" with "a written document indicating what the witness said."
The leader of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), asked the FBI to inform senators of its findings before asking the legislator to vote on Justice Kavanaugh's confirmation.
-Jennifer Levitz, Andrew Duehren and Aruna Viswanatha contributed to this article.
Write to Natalie Andrews at [email protected], Peter Nicholas at [email protected] and Kristina Peterson at [email protected]
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