FBI Releases Volumes of Tips It Received About Kavanaugh
The FBI has released hundreds of pages of tips the agency received about Justice Brett Kavanaugh. They were bad.
That's because none of them were reliable enough to warrant further investigation. The case for sexual assault, alleged during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, apparently is closed. It doesn't mean Kavanaugh will never have to account for his alleged misdeeds. It just means, as far as the FBI is concerned, he already has.
Alleged Misdeeds
During the contentious confirmation hearings last year, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party in the 1980s. Deborah Ramirez said he drunkenly exposed himself to her. Kavanaugh angrily denied the accusations. Senators asked the FBI to open a supplementary background investigation. The rest, of course, is history.
The investigation, including some 500 pages of tips, is now a public record. BuzzFeed News reporter Jason Leopold filed an Freedom of Information lawsuit to obtain the record. The documents were heavily redacted under FOIA regulations. The public information was largely comprised of messages supporting or opposing Kavanaugh. "(I)t would be a crime against American humanity for the FBI not to investigate this accusation before his possible appointment," one message said. "This is a homeland security threat and of grave importance."
'Of Grave Importance'
The FBI concluded the tips were generally personal opinions. Some were threats against Kavanaugh, but nothing legitimate. Meanwhile, the Judicial Conference is reviewing ethics charges against the justice. An appeals court, however, has twice dismissed the charges. According to reports, 83 ethics complaints had been filed against Kavanaugh for making allegedly false statements under oath and for making inappropriate and disrespectful statements in his hearing for the Supreme Court.
Related Resources:
- Tenth Circuit Declines Kavanaugh Ethics Case, Stays Course In Others (FindLaw's U.S. Tenth Circuit Blog)
- LGBTQ Workplace Rights; The Opinions Are In (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)
- United States Supreme Court Cases (FindLaw's Cases & Codes)