FBI investigation expected to be complete tomorrow, with vote on Kavanaugh scheduled for later in the week
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The F.B.I. is expected to complete its investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh and deliver the results to the Senate as early as Wednesday, and Republican leaders said Tuesday that they expect to vote on the nomination this week.
“We’ll have an F.B.I. report this week, and we’ll have a vote this week,” Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, told reporters after the Republicans’ weekly policy luncheon on Tuesday. But Mr. McConnell would not say whether that would be a final vote, or a procedural vote allowing the Senate to begin debate.
Once the investigation is completed, the F.B.I. will send reports about its interviews to the Senate, where members will have a chance to review them. Several Republicans — including Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican — said Tuesday that they would like to see the findings made public in some form.
“People are not going to be satisfied until some public statement about what the F.B.I. supplemental background investigation shows,” Mr. Cornyn said.
The F.B.I. has already completed its interview of Mark Judge, the high school friend of Judge Kavanaugh whom Christine Blasey Ford said was in the room as she was assaulted, his lawyer said on Tuesday. Mr. Judge has in the past said he has no recollection of an attempted rape by Judge Kavanaugh.
Barbara Van Gelder, the lawyer, said in a statement that “Mr. Judge completed his F.B.I. interview. We are not commenting on the questions the F.B.I. asked Mr. Judge.”
A five-day “investigation” of everything that has come out about Kavanaugh during the nomination process certainly looks like a sham, ginned up to give cover to a couple of squishy GOP senators. It seems likely that by this time next week Lyin’ Brett will be on the Supreme Court, just in time to supply the fifth vote for the proposition that Donald Trump can pardon himself and all of his cronies for every crime they’ve ever committed.