BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who is on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has asked new Attorney General Merrick Garland to look into the FBI's 2018 investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Sen. Whitehouse called the FBI's efforts to look into Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford's sexual assault allegations "cursory," "politically-constrained," and "perhaps fake." This was part of a letter asking for "U.S. Department of Justice cooperation in four important Judiciary Committee oversight matters."
The senator said the FBI did not accept testimony from witnesses that had come forward and wanted to their accounts. Whitehouse said some of the claims were brought to the Judiciary Committee's attention after witnesses had "tried in vain to reach the F.B.I. on their own.," and said members of the judicial committee also "faced the same experience" when making inquiries.
"This was unique behavior in my experience, as the Bureau is usually amenable to information and evidence; but in this matter the shutters were closed, the drawbridge drawn up, and there was no point of entry by which members of the public or Congress could provide information to the FBI," Whitehouse wrote.
Whitehouse said the FBI appeared to have ignored evidence from the tip line it set up for the case, saying it may have been "fake."
The senator wrote that "Dr. Ford's testimony obviously justified further investigation to seek corroborating or inconsistent evidence. The nominee disputed her testimony, so there were questions of fact to resolve."
The senator raised four other matters in the letter: a request to investigate the fossil fuel industry, campaign finance abuses, the Department's own Office of Legal Counsel, and to look into Trump-era investigations on car-industry emissions.
WBZ NewsRadio reached out to the FBI. The agency responded that it had no comment on the letter, and directed all inquiries to the Department of Justice.
The Department of Justice confirmed it had received the letter and was reviewing it.
WBZ's Laurie Kirby (@KirbyWBZ) reports:
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Written by Bea Aldrich and Chaiel Schaffel
(Photo: Getty Images)