Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) released a statement about a letter that’s been in her possession since July that reportedly outlines allegations of attempted sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when he was in high school, unnamed sources familiar with the letter say.
She released a statement devoid of specifics about the content of that letter, and said the informant “has strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further.” Feinstein said she had passed it along to the FBI.
No one has verified the contents of the letter on the record and Feinstein has repeatedly refused to comment on its contents, citing her concerns about concealing the accuser’s identity. Thus she is accusing Kavanaugh of a crime without being willing to reveal what the crime is, the accuser, or any other details, all of which are required in U.S. courts of law to fairly seek justice.
The Guardian reported this account from an unnamed source.
A source who said they were briefed on the contents of the letter said it described an incident involving Kavanaugh and a woman that took place when both were 17 years old and at a party. According to the source, Kavanaugh and a male friend had locked her in a room against her will, making her feel threatened, but she was able to get out of the room. The Guardian has not verified the apparent claims in the letter. It is not yet clear who wrote it.
But The New Yorker’s account about what was reportedly outlined in the letter is vastly different.
She claimed in the letter that Kavanaugh and a classmate of his, both of whom had been drinking, turned up music that was playing in the room to conceal the sound of her protests, and that Kavanaugh covered her mouth with his hand. She was able to free herself. Although the alleged incident took place decades ago and the three individuals involved were minors, the woman said that the memory had been a source of ongoing distress for her, and that she had sought psychological treatment as a result.
The discrepancies between the accounts of what is reportedly in the letter also raise questions about its contents. In a statement, Kavanaugh said he “categorically and unequivocally” denies the allegation.
“I did not do this back in high school or at any time,” he said.
The FBI is not investigating the matter, and instead sent it to the White House as part of the larger background check the bureau does on nominees.
“Upon receipt of the information on the night of September 12, we included it as part of Judge Kavanaugh’s background file, as per the standard process,” an FBI spokesman told The New Yorker in a statement.
Some have pointed out that the timing of the letter is suspicious. If serious and credible allegations against Kavanaugh were, in fact, made in the aforementioned letter, sitting on it for months before referring it to law enforcement is a nonsensical tactic. As The Wall Street Journal’s Kimberly Strassel pointed out in a series of tweets, Feinstein did not blow the whistle on the information until after Democrats had exhausted all other tactics to stall the nomination process.
1) On Feinstein's referral of a letter with an accusation against Kavanaugh to the FBI:
–This is impt enough to be sent to FBI, but not impt enough to have been raised before now? Can't be both. NYT reports she got the letter this summer.— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 13, 2018
2)
–similarly, this is impt enough to be sent to FBI, but never shared with a single Republican charged with advice and consent?
–Feinstein statement explicitly acknowledges that the accuser did not want to take this further. So why is it with the FBI?— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 13, 2018
3)
–timing here cannot be ignored. Coming only after Democrats were unable to further stall a vote.
–and just to be clear, Ds and media are now using a secret letter with a secret accusation from a secret person, to try to take down Kavanaugh. Scary.— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 13, 2018
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released a letter on Friday with statements from 65 women who attended high school with Kavanaugh and all vouched for his character and treatment of women as a student.
.@ChuckGrassley releases a letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school (showing Rs knew about this high-school rape allegation.) These women say Kavanaugh “behaved honorably and treated women with respect.”
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) September 14, 2018
