• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
brett kavanaugh

Senate Republicans Are Confident Kavanaugh Will Be Confirmed After Reading FBI Report

By
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 4, 2018, 12:17 PM ET

Senate Republicans expressed confidence that nothing in a supplemental FBI investigation prompted by sexual misconduct allegations against Brett Kavanaugh will derail the Supreme Court nominee, as they press ahead with plans for a make-or-break Friday test vote.

“There’s nothing in it that we didn’t already know,” Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa said Thursday as senators are viewing the report in private.

Democrats are criticizing the probe as a whitewash as the White House said investigators interviewed nine people — far short of the dozens of potential witnesses offered to the FBI by two Kavanaugh accusers.

The FBI didn’t interview Kavanaugh or Christine Blasey Ford, one of his accusers, because it didn’t have clear authority from the White House to do so, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

President Donald Trump, who was briefed on the findings of the report Thursday, signaled support for his nominee, decrying “harsh and unfair treatment” of Kavanaugh in an early morning tweet.

The White House’s position indicates a push from Kavanaugh’s backers for quick action on the nomination, which has verged on collapse at times by the weight of mounting sexual misconduct allegations.There will now be even more pressure on undecided Republican senators ahead of the test vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination. If the nominee’s supporters prevail in that vote, Kavanaugh could be confirmed this weekend to the nation’s highest court.

“All senators will be able to review the report” delivered early Thursday by the FBI, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office said in a statement.

Top Judiciary Committee Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California didn’t speak to reporters as she left the secure room where senators are viewing the report. On Wednesday, the California senator said in a statement that a lack of FBI interviews with Kavanaugh and Ford “raises serious concerns that this is not a credible investigation.”

Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy said on Twitter that with each senator being given one hour to review the report before a “rushed vote,” the confirmation process controlled by Republicans is “just about power politics.”

The announcement of the vote came after some Republican senators expressed dismay over Trump’s mockery of two of the women who have come forward with claims against Kavanaugh.

Ford’s attorneys said in a statement that they were “profoundly disappointed” in the probe.

“An FBI supplemental background investigation that did not include an interview of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford — nor the witnesses who corroborate her testimony — cannot be called an investigation,” they said, adding that “those directing the FBI investigation were not interested in seeking the truth.”

White House spokesman Raj Shah defended the investigation to reporters Thursday morning, saying “of course we were and of course we have been” seeking the truth in the matter. He said Ford and Kavanaugh had an “opportunity to tell in a very detailed and comprehensive fashion the Senate their testimony” and that the administration was “fully confident after reviewing this information senators can be comfortable voting yes.”

Shah wouldn’t identify the nine people interviewed by the FBI, which reached out to 10 people. He said other witnesses — like a former Kavanaugh classmate at Yale who told the New Yorker his outreach to the FBI had been ignored — lacked “firsthand knowledge” and therefore would not “be deemed as very credible in a process like this.”

Democrats criticized the limited scope of the FBI investigation. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois told CNN on Thursday it was unacceptable for the FBI to interview only a “handful” of people, given the “gravity” of the case.

Shah said the White House had been in regular contact with senators on the fence about Kavanaugh’s nomination, and that outreach would continue in coming days.

Speaking Tuesday night at a rally in Southaven, Mississippi, Trump attacked the credibility of Ford, who last week testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh drunkenly assaulted her during a high school party in Maryland more than 30 years ago.

Related: Trump Bets Fight for Imperiled Kavanaugh Will Fire Up GOP Voters

The president, who days ago said Ford’s testimony was “very credible,” ridiculed her memory to cheers from the audience.

“How did you get there? I don’t remember. Where was the place? I don’t remember,” Trump said, mocking Ford’s answers during last week’s hearing.

At the Mississippi rally, Trump also turned his ire on Julie Swetnick, who claims Kavanaugh took part in efforts at parties during high school to get girls intoxicated so that groups of boys could have sex with them.

“This woman had no clue what was going on, and yet she made the most horrible charges,” Trump said.

Kavanaugh has strongly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.

Trump’s remarks drew a rebuke Wednesday from Senator Jeff Flake, the Arizona Republican who forced the additional FBI inquiry into the accusations by threatening to withhold his vote for confirmation.

Flake said the comments were “kind of appalling” in an interview with NBC News. “There is no time and no place for remarks like that,” Flake said. “But to discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right.”

Another undecided Republican, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, was asked whether Trump’s comments would affect her decision on whether to back Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

“I am taking everything into account and I think the comments by the president yesterday mocking Dr. Ford were wholly inappropriate,” Murkowski said.

Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who also has yet to declare her stand on the nomination, was also critical of Trump.

“The president’s comments were just plain wrong,” she said in a statement.

Despite Trump’s assertion on Monday that “the FBI should interview anybody that they want, within reason,” confusion beset the investigation, fed by conflicting signals over what constraints had been placed on the bureau.

The White House has indicated to the FBI that the testimony from Kavanaugh and Ford before the Judiciary Committee last week was sufficient, said the two people, who asked not to be identified discussing the sensitive matter.

A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the White House viewed the inquiry as a supplemental background investigation, with its scope limited to the sex-assault allegations. On Monday, three days into the investigation, the White House gave the FBI approval to interview more people, but the bureau was still constrained by an initial directive to investigate only credible allegations of sexual misconduct, one of the people said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray is documenting what’s happening behind the scenes in order to help ensure the bureau’s activities in the politically charged investigation are captured and perhaps made public one day, the person added.

The FBI declined to comment on the investigation or its timing.

About the Author
By Bloomberg
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

U.S. says China to buy $17 billion of agricultural goods annually
EconomyChina
U.S. says China to buy $17 billion of agricultural goods annually
By Yash Roy and BloombergMay 17, 2026
14 minutes ago
Taiwan’s president says the U.S. arms sales that Trump called a bargaining chip with China are ‘the most important deterrent’ of regional conflict
AsiaChina
Taiwan’s president says the U.S. arms sales that Trump called a bargaining chip with China are ‘the most important deterrent’ of regional conflict
By The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
25 minutes ago
WHO declares latest Ebola outbreak a global health emergency. A rare variant of the disease with no approved treatments is to blame
HealthHealth
WHO declares latest Ebola outbreak a global health emergency. A rare variant of the disease with no approved treatments is to blame
By Chinedu Asadu and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
34 minutes ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
EconomyDebt
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
1 hour ago
BlackRock private credit fund’s valuations are probed by DOJ
InvestingDepartment of Justice
BlackRock private credit fund’s valuations are probed by DOJ
By Olivia Fishlow, Ava Benny-Morrison and BloombergMay 17, 2026
3 hours ago
Ukraine brings the war to Moscow with one its largest drone attacks on the capital, adding to the ‘darkening cloud of anxiety over Russia’
EuropeRussia
Ukraine brings the war to Moscow with one its largest drone attacks on the capital, adding to the ‘darkening cloud of anxiety over Russia’
By Samya Kullab and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
21 hours ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a 'non-linear' price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
Energy
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a 'non-linear' price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
23 hours ago
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
Future of Work
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.