The White House on Thursday offered up a flimsy excuse for President Trump’s decision not to ask the FBI to investigate the numerous sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
During an interview with Today, hours before Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the FBI had “already investigated” Kavanaugh several times and didn’t need to explore Kavanaugh’s background further.
“[President Trump] is the person who could say, ‘I would like the FBI to look into all of these matters,'” host Savannah Guthrie said, referring to the multiple women, Ford included, who claim Kavanaugh assaulted them or exhibited sexually predatory behavior. “Why doesn’t he do that?
“The FBI has investigated Brett Kavanaugh six different times,” Sanders said.
“But not on these allegations,” Guthrie countered.
Sanders continued to sidestep the issue, claiming the FBI background investigation had been “thorough” and “nothing ever came up.” She insisted Thursday’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee would serve to enlighten the public on any lingering, unanswered questions.
“…It used to be that you were innocent until proven guilty,” Sanders added. “And now an accusation is made and it destroys somebody’s life, whether it’s real or not. I’m often asked about being a parent. ‘Sarah, you have a daughter.’ I also have two sons. And I wouldn’t want a false accusation to be what determined the rest of their lives.”
Why doesn’t President Trump ask the FBI to look into these Kavanaugh allegations? –@savannahguthrie
“The FBI has investigated Brett Kavanaugh six different times.” –@PressSec
“But not on these allegations.” -Guthrie pic.twitter.com/cVLBChE7nW
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 27, 2018
Sanders, of course, inadvertently made the case for an FBI investigation during her interview Thursday: the only way to ensure accusations aren’t false, and to prove any guilt, is for there to be a full FBI investigation — not simply a Senate testimony hearing.
Trump has made similar comments in the past, regarding a potential FBI investigation into the sexual assault allegations against his Supreme Court nominee.
Shortly after Ford went public with her account — the California professor claims Kavanaugh attempted to rape her at a house party in the early 1980s, when the two were teenagers — Trump claimed an FBI investigation into the matter would be unorthodox.
“Well, it would seem that the FBI really doesn’t do that,” he told reporters on September 19. “They’ve investigated [Kavanaugh via background checks] about six times before.”
“They would do it if you asked them to,” one reporter countered.
The president ignored the question, saying it was up to the senators. “I would let the senators take their course,” he said. “Let the senators do it. They’re doing a very good job.”
Senate Republicans have so far ruled out any potential FBI investigation into the allegations. Last week, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter to Ford’s attorney, arguing it was “not the FBI’s role to investigate a matter such as this.”
Grassley responds to last night's letter from Blasey's lawyers: https://t.co/83VWArmbS0 pic.twitter.com/YyRMkRKcgz
— Matt Ford (@fordm) September 19, 2018
Sanders’ comments Thursday were made hours after three new allegations of sexual assault or misconduct were levied against Kavanaugh, including one by Julie Swetnik, who recounted her experience in a sworn affidavit on Wednesday. Swetnick claims she was gang raped at a party in the 1980s, and alleges Kavanaugh was present during the attack. (She did not directly implicate him in the rape.)
Another accuser came froward Wednesday night, claiming Kavanaugh pushed her friend up against a wall “aggressively and sexually” after a night of drinking in 1998. A Rhode Island man also claimed Kavanaugh had raped his friend on a boat in 1985 but reportedly recanted his statement later.
Kavanaugh has adamantly maintained his innocence, calling all of the claims against him “ridiculous” and “from the Twilight Zone.”
The Senate will still hold a vote to confirm Kavanaugh Friday morning, despite the allegations and without a full investigation.