Feinstein seeks FBI intervention in Kavanaugh confirmation

UPDATE: The New Yorker reported Friday morning that the information relayed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to the FBI involved a complaint from an unidentified woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were both in high school in the early 1980s.

In a letter sent to Feinstein in July, a woman, according to the magazine, claimed that she attended a party with Kavanaugh, where he held her down and attempted to force himself on her. The woman said she was later able to free herself, but added that the incident caused ongoing distress for her to the point of needing psychological treatment.

“I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation,” Kavanaugh said in a statement released by the White House Friday morning. “I did not do this back in high school or at any time.” A classmate of Kavanaugh’s, who the woman said was present during the incident, said, “I have no recollection of that.” The woman declined an interview with The New Yorker.

In response to the accusations, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee released a letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school. “We are women who have known Brett Kavanaugh for more than 35 years and knew him while he attended high school between 1979 and 1983,” wrote the women. “For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect.”

OUR EARLIER REPORT (11:37 a.m.): WASHINGTON—Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., announced Thursday she had referred information about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to federal investigators. Though Feinstein’s reticent statement revealed little, the move by the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee suggests she believes Kavanaugh may have been guilty of a crime.

Feinstein would not say what the information is or where it came from, noting only that she received it from a source who “strongly requested confidentiality.” The FBI said it received the information Wednesday and added it to the nominee’s background file but does not plan to open an investigation, according to a New York Times report. While Feinstein informed her fellow Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats about the existence of the letter on Wednesday, she may have had the letter since July.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, tweeted his skepticism, “Let me get this straight: this is [a] statement about [a] secret letter regarding a secret matter and an unidentified person. Right.” He then noted, “I will add: the FBI already performed and has reported on a background investigation on the nominee and this has been made available to all Senators on the Judiciary Committee.”

The Judiciary Committee plans to vote Thursday on sending Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate.