Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D.Calif., said on Sunday there should be a full FBI investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh following an interview given by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago.
“From the outset, I have believed these allegations were extremely serious and bear heavily on Judge Kavanaugh’s character,” the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said in a statement.
[Kellyanne Conway: Kavanaugh accuser ‘should not be ignored’]
The woman alleging that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school went public on Sunday in an interview with the Washington Post. Christine Blasey Ford said he groped her, tried to tear off her clothes, and covered her mouth when she tried to scream at a party in Maryland.
Ford had previously written a letter to her Democratic congresswoman detailing the incident, which was then given to Feinstein, who referred the matter to “federal investigative authorities.” The letter — not her name — was leaked in the past week, even though Ford she said she had no intention of going public with her allegations.
The Post interview with Ford — who said she thought Kavanaugh “might inadvertently kill me” during the alleged incident — comes days before the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to hold a vote on his nomination.
Kavanaugh is expected to win narrow confirmation.
Feinstein said she supports Ford’s decision to come public with her story. “[A]nd now that she has, it is in the hands of the FBI to conduct an investigation. This should happen before the Senate moves forward on this nominee,” Feinstein said.
The White House issued an identical statement on Kavanaugh’s behalf that it did last week: “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time.”
In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times published Sunday, Feinstein announced her plans to formally oppose Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, saying justices “should not be an extension of the Republican Party.”
“They must also have unquestionable character and integrity, and serious questions remain about Judge Kavanaugh in this regard, as indicated in information I referred to the FBI,” Feinstein wrote.
