All 100 members of the US Senate are to be given access to a limited FBI investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s supreme court nominee.
FBI agents have spoken to some potential witnesses to Kavanaugh’s alleged assault against Christine Blasey Ford, which she set out in detailed testimony to the Senate judiciary committee last week.
The report was delivered to Capitol Hill at 2.30am with a statement from the White House saying it was “fully confident the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the supreme court.”
Senators are expected to begin reviewing the FBI report on Thursday morning in a secure basement room in the Capitol complex. The Senate judiciary committee chair, Chuck Grassley, is first, followed by his colleagues either individually or possibly in groups. Grassley on Thursday confirmed the committee had received the report.
No copies will be made of the report, as is standard, so senators will have to go to the room to learn what is in it. They are not supposed to divulge its contents to the public.
“If you want people to be candid when they talk to the FBI, you ain’t going to make that public,” Grassley said on Wednesday.
The report will review allegations from Deborah Ramirez, who says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party when both were students at Yale.
Kavanaugh has angrily denied the allegations. The limited FBI investigation was begun late last week when Jeff Flake, a Republican hold-out on the judiciary committee, signalled he would not confirm Kavanaugh without further checks.
Trump ordered the FBI to report within a week. On Wednesday night, he reiterated his support for his nominee. “Wow, such enthusiasm and energy for Judge Brett Kavanaugh,” he tweeted. “He is a fine man and great intellect. The country is with him all the way!”
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has signalled he plans to force a final vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination as early as Saturday, to follow an initial vote on Friday.
Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate and a simple majority is needed to advance his nomination. A handful of Republican and Democratic senators are undecided on whether to support Kavanaugh and their votes will decide whether he is confirmed.
Blasey Ford’s lawyers have criticised the limited scope of the re-opened investigation. They pointed out that the additional FBI background investigation did not include interviewing Ford or the witnesses they say corroborate her testimony.
They said they were “profoundly disappointed” that those directing the probe “were not interested in seeking the truth”.