{"id":10609,"date":"2018-09-29T01:53:32","date_gmt":"2018-09-29T08:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=10609"},"modified":"2018-09-29T16:54:42","modified_gmt":"2018-09-29T23:54:42","slug":"president-trump-orders-fbi-probe-into-sexual-assault-allegation-against-brett-kavanaugh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=10609","title":{"rendered":"President Trump orders FBI probe into sexual assault allegation against Brett Kavanaugh"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"trb_ar_page\" data-role=\"pagination_page\" data-content-page=\"1\">\n<p>After a dramatic turn of events, President Trump on Friday finally acceded to Democratic demands and ordered the\u00a0<a id=\"ORGOV000008\" title=\"FBI\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/crime-law-justice\/fbi-ORGOV000008-topic.html\">FBI<\/a>\u00a0to open an investigation into the sexual assault allegations against\u00a0<a id=\"PEGPF00255\" title=\"Brett Kavanaugh\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/crime-law-justice\/justice-system\/brett-kavanaugh-PEGPF00255-topic.html\">Brett Kavanaugh<\/a>, even as his Supreme Court nomination was confirmed for a full\u00a0<a id=\"ORGOV0000134\" title=\"U.S. Senate\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/politics-government\/government\/u.s.-senate-ORGOV0000134-topic.html\">Senate<\/a>\u00a0vote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh\u2019s file,\u201d Trump said in a statement. \u201cAs the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hours earlier, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Kavanaugh\u2019s confirmation amid a flurry of chaotic last minute negotiations, which came one day after he adamantly denied sexually assaulting California professor\u00a0<a id=\"PENM00078\" title=\"Christine Blasey Ford\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/education\/christine-blasey-ford-PENM00078-topic.html\">Christine Blasey Ford<\/a>\u00a0who testified she was \u201c100%\u201d sure he was her alleged attacker.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"trb_ar_sponsoredmod\" data-v-ntidd=\"1069635\" data-adloader-networktype=\"nativo\" data-withinviewport-options=\"bottomOffset=100\" data-load-method=\"trb.vendor.nativo.init\" data-load-type=\"method\">\n<div class=\"trb_ar_nt\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The Judiciary Committee was split 11-10 along party lines in a vote preceded by a chaotic morning fraught with emotion as protesters descended upon Capitol Hill and Democrats continued to voice their opposition to Republican efforts to speed up the process of confirming Kavanaugh.<\/p>\n<p>Moments before the panel convened in the morning, outgoing Sen.\u00a0<a id=\"PEPLT002099\" title=\"Jeff Flake\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/politics-government\/government\/jeff-flake-PEPLT002099-topic.html\">Jeff Flake<\/a>\u00a0(R-Ariz.) announced he would vote to advance the nominee. He said Kavanaugh, currently an appeals court judge, was entitled to the \u201cpresumption of innocence &#8230; absent corroborating evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the senator, who had been on the fence about Kavanaugh\u2019s nomination, was later confronted by a pair of women in an elevator who said they were rape survivors and passionately implored him to change his mind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon&#8217;t look away from me,&#8221; one woman told a visibly uncomfortable Flake through tears. &#8220;Look at me and tell me that it doesn&#8217;t matter what happens to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Flake later huddled with Democrats in an anteroom off the main chamber ahead of the 1:30 p.m. vote. He emerged and said he would not back Kavanugh\u2019s confirmation in the full Senate without an FBI investigation and a week\u2019s delay.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe ought to do what we can to make sure we do all due diligence with a nomination this important,\u201d Flake said. \u201cThis country is being ripped apart here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Republican leaders begrudgingly agreed to the delay.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) said, \u201cThere&#8217;s going to be a supplemental background investigation,&#8221; which would delay a vote &#8220;no later than one week.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"trb_ar_sponsoredmod\" data-v-ntidm=\"1069629\" data-withinviewport-options=\"bottomOffset=100&amp;topOffset=1000000\" data-load-method=\"trb.vendor.nativo.init\" data-load-type=\"method\"><\/aside>\n<p>Democrats have repeatedly asked for such a probe as a political firestorm erupted around Kavanaugh\u2019s confirmation hearings.\u00a0<a id=\"ORGOV0000004\" title=\"Republican Party\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/politics-government\/republican-party-ORGOV0000004-topic.html\">Republicans<\/a>\u00a0and Trump have insisted it&#8217;s not necessary.<\/p>\n<p>A Democratic aide close to the confirmation process was pleased after Trump\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is exactly what we wanted,\u201d the source told the Daily News.<\/p>\n<p>Kavanaugh continued to maintain his innocence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been interviewed by the FBI, I\u2019ve done a number of \u2018background\u2019 calls directly with the Senate, and yesterday, I answered questions under oath about every topic the Senators and their counsel asked me,\u201d Kavanaugh said in a statement released by the White House. \u201cI\u2019ve done everything they have requested and will continue to cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several Democrats walked out of the committee meeting Friday morning in protest, but returned for the vote and Flake\u2019s change of heart.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"trb_em trb_embed\" data-content-id=\"105347087\" data-content-size=\"large\" data-content-type=\"image\" data-content-slug=\"ny-1538158810-nhu1de2nqd-snap-image\" data-content-subtype=\"photo\" data-role=\"sc_item imgsize_ratiosizecontainer lightbox_container \" data-state=\"\" data-embed-id=\"105347087\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_m\">\n<figure class=\"trb_em_ic_figure\" data-role=\"imgsize_item\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"trb_em_ic_img\" title=\"\u00a0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bae70de\/turbine\/ny-1538158810-nhu1de2nqd-snap-image\/950\/950x534\" alt=\"\u00a0\" data-baseurl=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bae70de\/turbine\/ny-1538158810-nhu1de2nqd-snap-image\" data-c-nd=\"1024x677\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"trb_em_r\" data-role=\"lightbox_metadata\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_r_cc\">Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., called for a week&#8217;s delay on the full Senate voting on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh&#8217;s confirmation. (Andrew Harnik \/ AP)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The heated political battle around Kavanaugh has raged as the future make-up of the Supreme Court precariously hangs in the balance. The conservative jurist who once worked for the George W. Bush White House could swing the court to the right for a generation.<\/p>\n<p>The Republicans hold a tight 51-49 majority in the Senate and a small handful of moderate lawmakers could make all the difference.<\/p>\n<p>While walking into Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell\u2019s office on Friday afternoon, Sen.\u00a0<a id=\"PEPLT004724\" title=\"Lisa Murkowski\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/politics-government\/government\/lisa-murkowski-PEPLT004724-topic.html\">Lisa Murkowski<\/a>\u00a0(R-Ak.), one of the key votes, said \u201cyes,\u201d when asked if she supports Flake&#8217;s proposal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes I do. It has to be limited in time and scope,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The dramatic vote unfolded a day after both Kavanaugh and psychology Ford testified before the panel.<\/p>\n<p>Ford insisted Thursday that she\u2019s \u201c100%\u201d sure a drunken Kavanaugh assaulted her at a Maryland house party in 1982, when they were both in high school.<\/p>\n<p>Ford\u2019s testified that a drunken young Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, tried to remove her clothes and clasped a hand over her mouth as she tried to yell for help. A friend of her alleged attacker stood by and she recalled \u201cthe uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several other women have since come forward with similar claims.<\/p>\n<p>Kavanaugh followed with a tearful and at-times aggressive rebuttal, refuting Ford\u2019s claims and accusing Democrats of playing politics.<\/p>\n<p>Trump earlier Friday called Ford\u2019s testimony \u201ccredible\u201d and \u201ccompelling\u201d and indicated he has his doubts about the fate of his pick to replace retiring Justice\u00a0<a id=\"PEPLT00008042\" title=\"Anthony Kennedy\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/crime-law-justice\/justice-system\/anthony-kennedy-PEPLT00008042-topic.html\">Anthony Kennedy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don\u2019t know if this is going to continue onward or if we\u2019re going to get a vote,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>As the FBI is now set to reopen Kavanaugh\u2019s file, agents will interview accusers and witnesses and gather additional evidence or details that could help corroborate or disprove the allegations.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have been particularly focused on getting more information from Mark Judge, a high school friend of Kavanaugh who Ford said was also in the room during her alleged assault. In her gripping testimony, Ford said Kavanaugh and Judge&#8217;s laughter during the incident has stuck with her nearly four decades later.<\/p>\n<p>Judge has said he does not recall any such incident, and a Democratic motion Friday to subpoena him was blocked by Republicans in a vote. But he later said he would cooperate with any law enforcement agency investigating the assault claims, according to a statement provided by his lawyer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_page\" data-role=\"pagination_page\" data-content-page=\"2\">\n<p>\u201cWhat the FBI will do is to interview everyone involved, like Mark Judge for example,\u201d former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti told The News. \u201cThey\u2019re going to ask detailed questions and follow up on those and confront them with evidence. They\u2019ll also gather information and run down leads such as &#8216;when did Mark Judge work at Safeway.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a dramatic turn of events,&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10610,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10609\/revisions\/10610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}