Dems Refer Mystery Letter About Kavanaugh To FBI

Buzzfeed News reports:

Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have referred a letter concerning Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the FBI.

The contents of the letter have been closely guarded by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as California Rep. Anna Eshoo, who originally received the letter and shared it with Feinstein, according to sources familiar with the matter.

But whispers of what it contains have made the rounds across Capitol Hill over the past week. The attention on it burst into the public when The Intercept published a report on the rumors surrounding the letter on Wednesday.

Feinstein’s statement:

“I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.”

CNN reports:

In a statement, White House spokesperson Kerri Kupec said Kavanaugh has been “thoroughly and repeatedly vetted” by the FBI for government positions over the past 25 years and accused Democrats of trying to delay the nomination.

“Throughout his confirmation process, Judge Kavanaugh has had 65 meetings with senators — including with Senator Feinstein — sat through over 30 hours of testimony, addressed over 2,000 questions in a public setting and additional questions in a confidential session. Not until the eve of his confirmation has Sen. Feinstein or anyone raised the specter of new ‘information’ about him,” Kupec said.

“Sen. (Chuck) Schumer promised to ‘oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have,’ and it appears he is delivering with this 11th hour attempt to delay his confirmation,” she added.

UPDATE: From the New York Times.

Two officials familiar with the matter say the incident involved possible sexual misconduct between Judge Kavanaugh and a woman when they were both in high school. Ms. Feinstein had not shared the letter with the committee’s chairman, Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa. Nonetheless, Mr. Grassley said the matter would not impact his timeline.

So…likely a nothing burger.