SCOTUS | Ranking Member Refuses to Disclose Secret Allegations Even After Dr. Ford Goes Public

senate.gov ^ | September 19, 2018 | Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

[mdittmar]

WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today made a formal request for a copy of the letter Ranking Member Feinstein received in July alleging misconduct by Judge Brett Kavanaugh as a teenager.  While Feinstein eventually referred the letter to the FBI last week, which was then redacted and added to Judge Kavanaugh’s background file, committee Republicans have not yet been able to access an unredacted version of the letter.

 

“My staff has made repeated requests for this document-which has become a significant piece of evidence in Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation process-but your staff has so far refused to provide a copy of the letter. You are able to share this unredacted copy with all the members of your caucus and their staff, as well as anyone else you choose. The only version we have of this letter is a redacted version contained in the supplemental FBI background investigation file that only senators and a handful of very select staff are authorized to read,” Grassley said in the letter.

 

Grassley’s staff continues its work to investigate claims raised by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and has invited her to share her story with the committee.  It’s critical for the full committee to have access to the original letter in order to conduct a fair and thorough investigation.

 

“Sexual assault allegations deserve serious attention, and those who make such allegations must be heard. They should not be deployed strategically for political gain,” Grassley said.

 

Full text of the letter follows:

 

September 19, 2018

 

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein

Ranking Member, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary

331 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

 

Dear Senator Feinstein: 

 

I am writing to request that you provide me a copy of the letter dated July 30, 2018, that you received from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford containing allegations of sexual assault against Judge Brett Kavanaugh. My staff has made repeated requests for this document—which has become a significant piece of evidence in Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process—but your staff has so far refused to provide a copy of the letter. You are able to share this unredacted copy with all the members of your caucus and their staff, as well as anyone else you choose. The only version we have of this letter is a redacted version contained in the supplemental FBI background investigation file that only senators and a handful of very select staff are authorized to read.

 

Sexual assault allegations deserve serious attention, and those who make such allegations must be heard. They should not be deployed strategically for political gain. You received this letter approximately seven weeks ago.  But the contents of the letter were leaked only last week when it appeared the Senate was about to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. There were numerous opportunities to raise the serious allegations made in the letter during the course of this nomination process. They could have been raised in your closed-door meeting with Judge Kavanaugh on August 20. Sixty-four other senators also met with Judge Kavanaugh prior to his confirmation hearing. These senators could have asked Judge Kavanaugh about these allegations if you had shared the letter.

 

Your staff could have raised these allegations during routine background investigation phone calls in late-August. Questions about these allegations could have been asked of Judge Kavanaugh during his more than 32 hours of testimony before the Committee over the course of three days. You could have asked him about these allegations during the closed session of his confirmation hearing, where sensitive material can be discussed. But you did not attend the closed session. Finally, these allegations could have been addressed in one of the nearly 1,300 written questions issued to him after the hearing—more written questions to any Supreme Court nominee than all prior Supreme Court nominees combined.

 

You have said that you didn’t raise Dr. Ford’s allegations previously because you wanted to protect Dr. Ford’s anonymity. But these allegations could have been raised to me, or to Judge Kavanaugh, while protecting Dr. Ford’s anonymity. Indeed, the only version of her letter that I have is the redacted version from the FBI, which protected Dr. Ford’s anonymity. Had Dr. Ford not made her allegations public via the Washington Post over the weekend, I still would not know her identity. The fact is that these allegations could have been raised both within the last seven weeks and in a way that protected Dr. Ford’s anonymity. Instead, you chose to sit on the allegations until a politically opportune moment. I cannot overstate how disappointed I am in this decision. It has caused me to have to reopen the hearings for the fifth day of testimony, when we easily could have—and should have—raised these issues before or during the first four days of the hearing.  

 

As you know, the Senate Judiciary Committee has extended invitations to Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh to testify on Monday, September 24. They have until this Friday at 10:00 a.m. to let us know whether they are coming. Dr. Ford has asked for the opportunity to be heard in a hearing, and I believe she should have that opportunity. I recognize that testifying publicly about sexual assault allegations may be difficult for Dr. Ford, so I have offered her the opportunity to testify in any of four possible venues: (1) a public hearing; (2) a private hearing; (3) a public staff interview; or (4) a private staff interview. I am even willing to have my staff travel to Dr. Ford in California—or anywhere else—to obtain her testimony.

 

As you know, the Majority staff spoke with Judge Kavanaugh as part of the background investigation. Judge Kavanaugh immediately agreed to cooperate with Senate investigators. He sat for a transcribed interview on Monday. He understood that he was under penalty of felony, if he was not truthful. He fully, candidly, and unequivocally answered all questions. We have no reason to doubt the truthfulness of Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony. Judge Kavanaugh volunteered to come back to a public hearing.

 

As is standard practice, we invited the Minority staff to participate and ask Judge Kavanaugh its own questions, but the Minority staff declined. The Majority staff has also sought to set up interviews with Dr. Ford, Mark Judge, and two other alleged witnesses. The Minority staff is welcome to participate in the investigative process as well, but it has thus far declined.

 

In order to prepare for Monday’s hearing, and any discussions with Dr. Ford that occur before then, I must review the unredacted letter that Dr. Ford sent to you, dated July 30, 2018. I ask that you send me a copy of the original, unredacted letter immediately.

 

[zencycler]

If the letter got redacted by the FBI, then can’t Trump just declassify that also? I’d love to hear the Dems howl if that happened!

[glenduh]

Is this the same letter CNN printed on the 17th?

“CNN was not provided a copy of the letter sent to Feinstein, but a source who had the letter read the contents of a redacted version to CNN.”

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/16/politics/blasey-ford-kavanaugh-letter-feinstein/index.html

[blu]

Seriously, how does one get “uncommittee-fied”?

[lgjhn23]

“...Read Grassley’s letter. The FBI put a redacted version in Kavanaugh’s file....”

Yeah. Redacted alright. Probably has Gorsuch’s name scratched out and Kavanaugh’s name pencilled in underneath it.
Let em keep their stupid letter and remove FineSwine from the committee and have the vote.

[eyeamok]

Why is Mrs Blum still on this committee?? Senate LEADER McConnell should ave Removed her from ALL Committee’s Immediately upon this Gross Exhibition of Conduct Unbecoming of a United States Senator.

[blondiegoodbadugly]

(((“which was then redacted and added to Judge Kavanaugh’s background file”

That’s messed up))))

I noticed that too: redacted and added to his background file

???

[EverTrumper]

So Grassley sent Feinstein a strongly worded letter. Yawn.

[blondiegoodbadugly]

Couldn’t agree more!

[AndyJackson]

Once again DiFi demonstrates she lacks the temperament to sit on the Judiciary committee having no regard for due process rights, like knowing the charges against you.

[Dilbert San Diego]

So the Democrats, who have bitched about not getting enough documents or all the documents requested, so that they can do a complete review of Kavanaugh’s record, are withholding a key document.

Interesting.

[Toespi]

Let’s take a look at just the past ten days. 1)It is revealed that John Kerry told enemies of the US not to negotiate with the current administration, wait two years which is clearly seditious 2) the POTUS instructs the FISA documents to be immediately released, unredacted to the public Former members of the Obama admin instruct the DOJ to not release the documents, defying a order directly from their commander in chief 3) now the democrats are refusing to give an redacted letter which is vital and relevant to a Supreme Court nomination.

Does anyone doubt that we are in the middle of a coup, which is what a.resistance they have openly called for against this country? That, in fact, the POTUS we elected is becoming powerless to this open resistance against him, thus us. What happens if and when the POTUS would call on troops for defense of this country, and liberal military leaders refuse to follow by ordering troops to resist?

I think we should all be terrified with these developments and I don’t see anyone doing anything about it.

[lurk]

I enjoy Mr Trump’s pronunciation of the senator’s name: Fine-Steen, with a New York zing.

[etcb]

How much fun would it be to watch Senator Grassley hand Feinstein a subpoena for the letter during a committee meeting?

[TheBullWat]

He was foolish to move the hearing without the letter.

Sick of Rs allowing themselves to be played

[MarchonDC09122009]

And it’s extreme government-societal disfunction we’ve sunk to that will embolden our adversaries to soon sink the dollar, our economy and aircraft carrier groups...tick tock

RE: “Who needs foreign enemies with elected officials like America enjoys?”

[kabar]

Won’t provide it because it contains other loony stuff that would bring into focus the sanity of this nut.

[Bellflower]

Standard leftist MO. This should be turned into an educational moment for the public at large. Tell them that this is a prime example of a democrat tactic. They wait until the last moment and unleash a flaming and damming, fallacious accusation on their opponent, hoping to ruin their reputation and to cause them to lose an election or a political post.

They do not give their opponent adequate time to respond and defend themselves. They leave the damming, fallacious accusation, yet undefended, as the last thing a person has heard just before they vote, hoping to highly influence their voting. Let the public know that it is time to be wiser than them and not fall for this tactic any longer.

Let the public know that if a character assassination is attempted at the last moment that it is likely a lying political dirty tactic and should be summarily dismissed as unfair and extremely likely just a another lie. It is a matter of proper education, so that the public is armed with information and isn’t preyed upon by unscrupulous politicians.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

This is EXACTLY why, the woman is a looney toon and the unredacted letter will show her for what she is!!!

[EnquiringMind]

“Oh, wait. Come to think of it, it wasn’t Brett at all, but some other guy.”

“.....some other guy named Gorsuch”

That’s why she won’t hand over the letter.

[Nifster]

Her recalcitrance is better for us. Makes the dems look like exactly what they are