Democrats are questioning the truthfulness of Brett Kavanaugh‘s sworn testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee as the FBI continues its investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Donald Trump's candidate for the Supreme Court.
The bureau has been given approval by the White House to speak to anyone it feels it needs to as part of its probe into the nominee’s past, following criticism its initial scope was too limited. The investigation, delaying Mr Kavanaugh’s confirmation, was instigated following Dr Christine Blasey Ford's Senate appearance to accuse the judge of sexually assaulting her at a college party in the 1980s.
Mr Kavanaugh has categorically denied any sexual misconduct ever occurred.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democrats’ leader from New York, has meanwhile said Mr Kavanaugh “misled senators about everything from the momentous to the mundane” to ensure his ascension to the high court.
Follow along here as the FBI continues its investigation into sexual assault allegations against President Trump's nominee for a lifetime appointment to the country's highest court.
“The third, I don’t know much about, but it would not bother me at all. I have heard that the third accuser – I don’t know this to be true – has very little credibility. If there is any credibility, interview the third one.”
Trump wants FBI to interview third Kavanaugh accuser as probe grips DC
The IndependentThere is controversy about scope of week-long probe
James Comey says 'flawed' probe of Brett Kavanaugh designed to 'thwart fact-gathering'
Bureau given just seven days to carry out investigation"The harsh fact of the matter is that we have mounting evidence that Judge Kavanaugh is just not credible," Mr Schumer said on Monday.
As Tuesday morning rolls over Capitol Hill, Democrats and Republicans are continuing to exchange harsh words over the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, as an FBI probe is now reportedly allowed to go on without obstruction from the White House.
Here’s the latest on where the embattled Supreme Court nominee’s fate stands, via the AP:
Kavanaugh's confirmation hinges on a handful of key Republican and Democratic senators who have not yet fully tipped their votes. One of them is Republican Jeff Flake of Arizona, who was greeted by hundreds of liberal protesters, victims of sexual assault among them, during an appearance Monday in Boston.
Flake and Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were instrumental last week in holding up Kavanaugh's confirmation vote. They forced the White House to open a supplemental background investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against the judge.
The votes of the three Republicans and those of red-state Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota will largely determine whether Kavanaugh is confirmed.
Flake said he would ensure it's a "real investigation," by the FBI as Democrats demanded that Trump give them a full readout of his instructions to the agency.
"It does us no good to have an investigation that just gives us more cover," Flake said.
Heitkamp, meanwhile, noted that Trump himself called for a "broader" FBI investigation into the allegations. She said, "I'm waiting to see what the results are."
Kavanaugh has emphatically denied Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that he sexually assaulted her at a gathering when they were teens. He has also denied an accusation from Deborah Ramirez, a classmate at Yale, who said he exposed himself to her at a dorm party more than 25 years ago. A third claim — from Julia Swetnick, who is represented by attorney Michael Avenatti — accuses Kavanaugh of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women at parties in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh denies that as well.
Democrats have seized most recently on Kavanaugh's indignant, emotional testimony before the Judiciary Committee to question whether he has the temperament for a lifetime appointment on the nation's highest court.
In particular, Democrats have homed in on his contention that the allegations against him are an "orchestrated political hit" funded by left-wing groups seeking "revenge on behalf of the Clintons."
Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, said, "We're going to put a conspiracy theory believer on the court?"
Democrats are also questioning Kavanaugh's honesty, particularly over statements he made about his drinking in high school and college.
Brett Kavanaugh won’t be returning to teach at Harvard Law School in January, after the school’s Undergraduate Council demanded the university investigate sexual assault allegations against the Supreme Court nominee before allowing him to return, The Crimson reported.
In an email sent by Associate Dean and Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs Catherine Claypoole, the Law School’s Curriculum Committee stated, “Today, Judge Kavanaugh indicated that he can no longer commit to teaching his course in January Term 2019, so the course will not be offered.”
The move arrived after hundreds of Harvard Law School alumni signed a letter demanding the school “rescind” Mr Kavanaugh’s position.
“We believe that Judge Kavanaugh’s appointment as an HLS lecturer sends a message to law students, and in particular female students, that powerful men are above the law, and that obstructive, inappropriate behavior will be rewarded,” the letter states. “Judge Kavanaugh is not leadership material, and he is not lectureship material. HLS would be tarnished to have him on campus in any position of authority.”
Democrats and Republicans aren’t the only ones exchanging harsh words over last week’s hearings.
Matthew Long, a former sex crimes prosecutor who was trained by Rachel Mitchell — the Republican prosecutor the majority hired to question both Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh — wrote a “disingenuous” memo after the fact that was inconsistent with her own practices as a prosecutor, the associate told Mother Jones.
“I’m very disappointed in my former boss and mentor,” Mr Long said.
Democratic senator Mazie Hirono has spoken out about new reports indicating Brett Kavanaugh was questioned by police in 1985 after throwing ice at someone “for some unknown reason” at a bar, according to a police report from the time.
“This is why we need an FBI investigation,” the senator told CNN. “Because there are a lot of allegations and the reports really are about how he behaves when he is drunk.”
New reports are spotting potentially troubling issues with Brett Kavanaugh’s candor during last week’s hearings over sexual assault allegations against him.
Though the embattled nominee claimed to only have learned of the second accuser alleging misconduct against him after a story was published in the New Yorker, NBC's First Read reported Tuesday that text messages “suggest that the nominee was personally talking with former classmates about [the accuser’s] story in advance of the New Yorker article that made her allegation public.”
“In one message, Yarasavage said Kavanaugh asked her to go on the record in his defence,” the article continues. “Two other messages show communication between Kavanaugh’s team and former classmates in advance of the story.”
The latest on Rachel Mitchell’s memo from the Washington Post:
“Legal experts from both political parties and advocates for victims of sexual assault questioned how Rachel Mitchell” could write in her memo after last week’s hearings that no case could be brought against Brett Kavanaugh while lacking a fuller investigation that would include other witnesses like Mark Judge.
Lindsey Graham, who did not mince words when discussing the “hell” Democrats allegedly put Brett Kavanaugh through during last week’s hearings, has now said mainstream media networks also played a role in the embattled Supreme Court nominee’s demise.
The Republican senator claimed NBC had been a “co-conspirator in the destruction of Kavanaugh” during a Fox News interview last night.
As the FBI continues its investigation into sexual assault accusations against Brett Kavanaugh, reports indicate at least six of the embattled Supreme Court nominee’s former classmates have since spoken out about his drinking habits — with several contradicting his claims that he had never blacked out.
Those former classmates are Liz Swisher, Lynne Brookes, Daniel Lavan, James Roche, Kit Winter and Chad Ludington.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has remained emphatic about holding a vote to confirm embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh this week, in spite of an ongoing FBI investigation into numerous accusations of sexual assault against the man Donald Trump chose to head to the nation’s highest court.
Mr McConnell said today, “The time for endless delay and obstruction has come to a close.”
He added, “Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination is out of committee. We’re considering it here on the floor and … we’ll be voting this week.”
Below is a clip from NBC News’ exclusive interview with Julie Swetnick, the third accuser who alleged Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. She claims to have seen the Supreme Court nominee attempting to remove women’s clothes during high school parties the two attended over 30 years ago, which Mr Kavanaugh has denied. The full interview will air on Sunday night.
Susan Collins wants the FBI to investigate Julie Swetnick's allegations, the Press-Herald has reported. The Republican senator said the FBI investigators should begin their probe with the four witnesses listed in last week’s hearings but pursue “appropriate” leads where necessary.
Mitch McConnell spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday to discuss what he described as the Democrats’ mission of destroying Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, as the FBI continued its probe into numerous accusations of sexual assault against him.
The Senate majority leader said in his speech that Democrats “will not be satisfied unless they have brought down Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination,” vowing to hold a vote this week on whether or not to confirm the embattled nominee.
The FBI has reportedly concluded its initial investigation into Brett Kavanaugh, as Democrats raise questions over a newly-reported police report about a bar fight the embattled Supreme Court nominee had allegedly provoked in 1985.
Here's the latest from the AP to get you up to speed:
The FBI has finished interviewing a friend of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh who was said to have attended a high school gathering in the early 1980s where a woman says she was sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh, the man's lawyer said Tuesday.
Mark Judge, who has denied any wrongdoing, completed his interview with FBI agents as part of the reopened background investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh, said his lawyer, Barbara "Biz" Van Gelder.
She declined to say exactly when it ended or what Judge was asked. She had said Monday night that the interview was not completed.
Democrats, meanwhile, were raising new questions about the truthfulness of Kavanaugh's sworn testimony to the Senate, shifting tactics against President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee as they await the results of the FBI's background investigation.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democrats' leader from New York, accused Kavanaugh of delivering a "partisan screed" during the Judiciary Committee hearing last week. He said Kavanaugh seemed willing to "mislead senators about everything from the momentous to the mundane" to ensure his ascension to the high court.
"The harsh fact of the matter is that we have mounting evidence that Judge Kavanaugh is just not credible," Schumer said Monday.
Not so, argued Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, contending the Democrats are simply looking to "move the goalposts" to prevent Kavanaugh's confirmation. He pledged that the full Senate would begin voting on Kavanaugh's nomination this week.
"The time for endless delay and obstruction has come to a close," he said.
Kavanaugh's confirmation hinges on a handful of key Republican and Democratic senators who have not yet fully tipped their votes. One of them is Republican Jeff Flake of Arizona, who was greeted by hundreds of liberal protesters, victims of sexual assault among them, during an appearance Monday in Boston.
Flake and Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were instrumental last week in holding up Kavanaugh's confirmation vote. They forced the White House to open a supplemental background investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against the judge.
The votes of the three Republicans and those of red-state Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota will largely determine whether Kavanaugh is confirmed.
Flake said he would ensure it's a "real investigation," by the FBI as Democrats demanded that Trump give them a full readout of his instructions to the agency.
"It does us no good to have an investigation that just gives us more cover," Flake said.
Heitkamp, meanwhile, noted that Trump himself called for a "broader" FBI investigation into the allegations. She said, "I'm waiting to see what the results are."
Kavanaugh has emphatically denied Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that he sexually assaulted her at a gathering when they were teens. He has also denied an accusation from Deborah Ramirez, a classmate at Yale, who said he exposed himself to her at a dorm party more than 25 years ago. A third claim — from Julia Swetnick, who is represented by attorney Michael Avenatti — accuses Kavanaugh of excessive drinking and inappropriate treatment of women at parties in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh denies that as well.
Democrats have seized most recently on Kavanaugh's indignant, emotional testimony before the Judiciary Committee to question whether he has the temperament for a lifetime appointment on the nation's highest court.
In particular, Democrats have homed in on his contention that the allegations against him are an "orchestrated political hit" funded by left-wing groups seeking "revenge on behalf of the Clintons."
Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, said, "We're going to put a conspiracy theory believer on the court?"
Democrats are also questioning Kavanaugh's honesty, particularly over statements he made about his drinking in high school and college.
Kavanaugh testified that while he enjoys drinking beer, and often did so in high school, he never drank to excess. He lashed out at senators who asked if he had ever blacked out. In one notable exchange, he snapped at Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., "Have you?"
Schumer said Kavanaugh was "rudely interrupting" senators in a way he'd never seen from a witness.
Former classmates have stepped forward to challenge Kavanaugh's testimony about his drinking. Charles "Chad" Ludington, who said he was a friend of Kavanaugh's at Yale University and now teaches at North Carolina State University, called Kavanaugh "a frequent drinker, and a heavy drinker." But the White House released statements from two other Yale classmates Monday who said they never saw Kavanaugh black out or treat women with disrespect.
Pushing back on the Democratic attacks, Republicans said Kavanaugh had every right to be upset during the hearing.
McConnell mocked the questions from Democrats about Kavanaugh's drinking in high school and college. He said Kavanaugh was "rightfully angry" about the accusations, and he added, "Who wouldn't be?"
While Democrats and Republicans have vastly opposing views on the embattled Supreme Court nominee, Lindsey Graham appears to be Brett Kavanaugh’s most ardent supporter on Capitol Hill.
In a statement made Tuesday, the senator said, “If his nomination to fall short, I would encourage President Trump to re-nominate Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.”
Jeff Flake has continued to express concerns about Brett Kavanaugh after demanding the FBI renew its investigation into the embattled Supreme Court nominee during a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Thursday of last week.
Speaking at The Atlantic fest on Tuesday, the Republican senator called Mr Kavanaugh “partisan” and suggested that could be a problem if he were to be seated on the nation’s highest court.
Still, Mr Flake appeared to stop just short of saying he would vote “no” on Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Mr Trump, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, suggested that the Kavanaugh accusations show it is "a very scary time for young men in America," and claimed that men in America are now "guilty until proven innocent" — a standard he claimed was a dangerous precedent to set in the United States.
The president also praised his nominee's performance during his hearing on Thursday, when he defended himself against the accusations from Dr Ford. She had testified earlier on Thursday.
"I thought h did very well. He's fighting very hard for his reputation for his family," Mr Trump said on Tuesday. "I thought what happened was really tough. It was tough stuff".
Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been an outspoken supporter of Mr Kavanaugh's nomination, doubled down on his support as well, suggesting that the president should simply renominate Mr Kavanaugh if the Senate fails to confirm him.
"If his nomination were to fall short, I would encourage President Trump to re-nominate Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court," Mr Graham said in a statement released on Tuesday. "It would — in effect — be appealing the Senate's verdict directly to the American people".
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested that he plans on bringing Mr Kavanaugh's nomination up for a vote in the Senate some time this week.
Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
