FBI probe could further wound Kavanaugh

[DonViejo]

Key witnesses such as Mark Judge appear to have agreed to cooperate with the newly ordered probe.

By JOSH GERSTEIN 09/28/2018 09:07 PM EDT

A re-opened FBI probe into Brett Kavanaugh’s background and whether he engaged in sexual misconduct is a longshot to turn up definitive proof, but could still unearth damaging information about the embattled Supreme Court nominee or his accusers.

That’s because key witnesses such as Mark Judge, Kavanaugh’s high school friend who reportedly was present for an alleged sexual assault against Christine Blasey Ford, appear to have agreed to cooperate with the FBI after earlier providing more limited statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee denying Ford's claims or saying they couldn't recall events she described.

Former FBI officials and others who have dealt extensively with background investigations say the FBI say agents could come up with new details, particularly since they can now work off of detailed testimony Ford and Kavanaugh gave to the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday and other newly available evidence, like Kavanaugh's calendars.

"There's a chance, if they're delving into specific things," former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes said of the possibility the bureau will find previously undisclosed facts or witnesses. "Even Kavanaugh raised a few issues all by himself that might merit further looking at. My opinion is he went way over the top when he kept talking about how much he likes beer....Kavanaugh is vulnerable here."

One attorney familiar with the background check process said questions asked by trained FBI agents could elicit different answers than those asked by Senate GOP staffers, who conducted their own inquiry into many of the allegations.

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/28/kavanaugh-fbi-investigation-853788

[beachbum bob]

1. All statements that Kavanaugh has made in the hearing proceedings are deemed "official" AND

then can be compared to actual events and facts....nonetheless the allegations that have been brought on him. He out right lied dozens of times Thursday. Yo can't make shit up and think no one will notice

[spooky3]

23. Agree. I think they may have trouble establishing

Some events occurred, but will find lots of evidence that he lied multiple times to the committee. Will they care?

[beachbum bob]

32. don't know, we do have the ideological agenda in play where the goals of

outlawing abortion, eliminate Muellers investigation AND take away state's rights to prosecute. Not sure how this will work out

[Meadowoak]

2. I think the FBI will find a lot of skeletons in Kavanaugh's closet. Mark Judge and several others

Know where the bodies are buried. Its all over for Kavanaugh. The republicans don't even want him, many of them are just looking for cover to vote no.

[2naSalit]

3. Closet, ha!

Too tiny, he's starting to sound like he has a mansion for them all.

[Perseus]

15. My prediction is that Kavanaugh will give up

He knows he lied, and he knows there is more to find.

[bitterross]

25. I don't think so. He's Trump personified. Same cloth.

I think most men would, by now, have withdrawn to save their family - especially daughters - further trauma. Kav, though, is a clone of Trump in so many ways. He is petty, vicious, vile, narcissistic, self-absorbed, privileged. He's been groomed for this position for some time and he fully believe he is owed this position.

Nothing seems to matter to him but him. Just like Trump. We saw a very scary person in that hearing that should never sit on ANY court. Not just the Supreme Court. If he is not confirmed he needs to be investigated when the Dems get control of committees again. He should not be a judge on any court. Most especially the DC circuit.

[Dream Girl]

27. I think so too. He runs the risk of criminal prosecution. The jig is up.

[Marcuse]

20. Not skeletons. Cemeteries.

[Odoreida]

4. The FBI will find nothing, because they have been ordered to find nothing.

It's Trump's FBI now.

Or do you really beleive there's a "deep state"?

[watoos]

5. One thing I don't believe,

is that Christopher Wray is up Trump's ass like you do.

[infullview]

6. You are so right!

The FBI has NO power to subpoena, so when they interview Mark Judge all he has to do is have his lawyer say "don't answer" and there's not an f'ing thing they can do about it. The only hope they have is to find someone who was there and isn't one of his buddies to corroborate testimony of one these women who were assaulted.

This "investigation" is totally shambolic.

[lunatica]

12. They don't need to nor are the FBI expected to subpoena anyone in

A background check. They are not investigating for crimes. They are simply gathering information to see if he is fit to have the job. Period. And when you are lying on your job application and about your character it naturally disqualifies you.

[infullview]

42. How's this strategy working so far? We know what kind of character Donald Trump has but

he's still the president. The repukes will claim that it's all a smear campaign by the left and will vote to confirm. The only real hope we have is if the Dem's get subpoena power to go after the Bush era documents to show that he lied during his first confirmation hearings on the Bush torture memos.

This totally unprincipled power grab by the right makes me so sick. This is all about a 44 page amicus brief submitted by Orin Hatch to remove the possibility of prosecution by the state. See https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/09/trump-pardon-orrin-hatch-supreme-court/571285/ for details.

The FBI's been so beaten up by tRump; I don't believe for a second they will report anything significant. They are not being given adequate time or resources to do the job right which will allow the repukes to question any result they return that casts Kavanaugh in a negative light.

[lunatica]

44. It's fine with me if you give up before the fight even starts

More power to you.

[infullview]

45. Never said I was giving up. If you read my other posts

I hold hope that Kavanaugh will be impeached.

[lunatica]

46. LOL!

[infullview]

47. Oh, and BTW I really do hope I'm wrong about all of this.

[ooky]

30. I wouldn't call it "shambolic"

until its over, and I don't think they necessarily need to find someone else who was there. If the FBI can find enough facts to add to the record that show Kavanaugh repeatedly lied during his confirmation process, or facts that demean his character, those things could be enough to give us the few "no" votes we need to prevent his confirmation by the Senate. And there are potentially many more people the FBI can interview other than Mark Judge.

I do believe we are in a better position today than yesterday before Flake decided to ask for the investigation and the one week extension.

[infullview]

43. It's shambolic because

the only reason they did it is to justify the plan they have to place him on the SC just as Mitch Mcturtle said he was going to do "plow right through".

[ooky]

48. I don't believe so. McConnell didn't have the votes he needed

for confirmation once Flake got the floor vote delayed and only then Collins/Murkowski/Manchin all supported Flake's position. McConnell would have gone through with the floor vote without the investigation if he had the votes to do it. McConnell didn't need to justify it to plow right through, he needed the votes though.

[democratic friend]

31. The Democratic senators were pretty adamant about getting an fbi investigation

No way would 8 times they requested this if they thought the fbi was biased. Senator Harris especially would not call on the fbi if she wasn’t certain it was going to be conducted fairly.

[infullview]

39. I never said they were biased, just emasculated.

[democratic friend]

40. Ah. Got it and definitely true.

[rzemanfl]

11. Busy this morning. n/t

[lunatica]

13. LOL!

Who ordered them?

[orangecrush]

16. Yup.

[pecosbob]

34. Jeff Flake, actually...

[lunatica]

36. The guy with one food out the door?

The one who isn’t running again?

He orders the FBI?

[pecosbob]

37. Once Flake called for additional investigation, the WH had no other option

than to submit...the optics would have been too attrocious even for Trump.

[lunatica]

38. That's because the GOP needs his vote and Murkowski's and Collins' votes

To get Kavanaugh confirmed. Without their votes he doesn’t get to be Supreme Justice.

It’s not that hard to understand. Flake isn’t the boss! They all had to agree to it and they did because they need his vote.

[paleotn]

22. Given events over the last year and 8 months...

I don't think many in the FBI like the mangofuhrer very much. They will do their jobs as professionals. Bottom line is they will find nothing to exonerate him, but might find additional dirt. Its nothing but down side or status quo for the drunk frat boy. That's precisely why the Republicans have fought so hard NOT to have an investigation of the allegations.

[Fred Sanders]

26. It is Trump's FBI now, you say? Please review his recent Tweets about them and get back to me.

Plus the FBI will be as professional as the prosecutor Judiciary brought in.

Professionalism is a real thing in the real world outside Fox.

[bitterross]

29. No deep state. An independent agency though.

Despite what Trump would have you believe and despite what Comey did to throw the election to Trump I'd like to still believe the vast majority of the FBI is a valuable, credible agency that does good work.

The FBI doesn't have to ask Mark Judge any questions that he could possibly take the 5th on to find out a lot. Mark Judge has already published a pretty telling book. It is, remember, a crime to lie to the FBI. I'm going to bet the FBI is much better at questioning people to find the truth than Mark Judge is at being obtuse and misleading.

[3Hotdogs]

7. The only way this hurts the nomination is if they investigate the $200,000 loan payback and

alcoholism.

[Bob Loblaw]

8. I think the FBI

is aware of the pitfalls of being too zealous in this matter. I also think there are enough smart people there to run a thorough and damning investigation including some information that should be embarrassing to the president without getting themselves fired. Who knows, maybe it could lead to him even losing his current seat.

[pecosbob]

35. I think they are also aware that the House will likely be blue very soon

then we will see some actual 'angry Democrats.'

[TwistOneUp]

9. Re: FBI probe could further wound Kavanaugh

One can only hope!

[duforsure]

10. I agree

And he either has to withdraw , or chance even more exposing him to not only his nomination , but also criminal investigations , and serious charges. Plus all involved will be forced to tell them every thing truthfully , or face serious consequences now, like claiming they forgot, or the opposite of the truth . I think it'll expose them all , and many will regret this, and start talking , and more will come forward, all exposing their crimes against women, plus other crimes involving other issues. He has to now withdraw before he's further exposed, or he'll risk his position he holds now. He isn't believable , or credible, and he will be exposed a lot more. Many others with him too. Gang rapers now have to be shaking in their boots about now, and they will uncover it if they did any of this that's claimed now.

[madville]

14. Or it could help him tremendously

Double-edged sword.


- They find no corroborating witnesses for Dr. Ford's accusation, basically confirming where we are currently at, that all the named people say it didn't happen and now they have attested that directly to FBI investigators. That gives the three GOP holdouts cover to vote Yes.

- Ramirez and Swetnick refuse to be interviewed by the FBI, that will bolster the conspiracy theories that it was all a coordinated hit job.

[shanny]

19. There's Judge, who was in the room (according to Dr. Blasey),

who has said he doesn't recall and doesn't want to talk about it, but who has a well-documented history of blackout drinking in high school (self-documented) and has been hiding out in a beach house in NJ (?) since this whole thing started.

Also, according to Dr. Blasey, he seemed to have some consciousness of guilt when she ran into him at the grocery store some weeks after it happened.

And apparently Ramirez and her attorneys have agreed to a meeting this weekend.

I think Brett ought to bail right now; he might save his current job (he has already destroyed his repulation, all by himself).

[panader0]

17. When does the week alloted for investigation begin?

Or has it already?

[lunatica]

18. It started yesterday

Brian Williams said it had already begun.

[localroger]

21. I think it really all comes down to Jeff Flake

I think in that elevator encounter Flake saw himself through the eyes of history and he didn't like what he saw very much. All the R's are fine with putting a partisan hack on the SC, but perhaps precisely because he is about to retire Flake may not want this to go in the history books as his swan song. If they ram through the confirmation and then it emerges in a week or two that there are a lot of easily discoverable reasons not to confirm him, it will put them in Teapot Dome territory for the historians.

So what does he get? If the FBI finds anything (or any of the other skeletons come out this week -- hello, Mr. Avenatti), Flake and the other doubters have cover for bucking their party and voting no on the confirmation. They can tell McConnell "hey, you told Trump yourself pick anybody else."

And if the FBI doesn't find anything, they have cover with the historians; they can say hey, we did hold off, we did try to make sure, we didn't just ram it through because we liked his partisan reliability. It would still not look good but at least they would have a fig leaf.

Personally, I think they are hoping something comes out so they can justify canning Kav. They can make all the self-righteous noises they want about the hearing but anybody who isn't drowning in their own Kool-Aid can see it was an embarrassment.

[pazzyanne]

24. Don't want to be a wet blanket,

but it worries me that the FBI report is sent to the White House first. Funny, I just don't trust the administration - AT ALL!

[wryter2000]

28. Yup

Expect him to withdraw “to protect his family.”

[Progressive Jones]

33. The GOP can't understand that the jig is up.

The GOP can't understand that their shit will no longer be tolerated. They aren't going to be able do anything else from here forward without a fight.

[libdem4life]

41. Who would want their future to be discussed by Avenatti and the FBI?

Doubt that sniveling, belligerent ranting example of a would-be SCOTUS is among that group. Avenatti has already done his homework. He'll just turn over the notes to the FBI for corroboration. Remember, he didn't take just anybody on as a client.