Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday blasted Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for asking if he was afraid of what an FBI investigation might find, calling the line of questioning “phony.”
“You know that’s a phony question because the FBI doesn’t reach conclusions,” Kavanaugh said in response to Durbin. “They just go and do what you’re doing — ask questions and then type up a report. They don’t reach the bottom line conclusions.”
Durbin repeated asked Kavanaugh about the possibility of an FBI investigation and whether the nominee would call for one to prove that he was innocent of Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her 36 years ago when they were both in high school.
{mosads}Kavanaugh said in his opening remarks that he was happy to submit to any investigation.
“I would welcome whatever the committee wants to do because I’m telling the truth,” Kavanaugh said later in the hearing.
To which Durbin replied, “I want to know what you want to do.”
“They don’t reach conclusions, you reach the conclusions,” Kavanaugh fired back.
Democrats have been calling for an FBI investigation of Ford’s accusations against Kavanaugh, saying it is the only way to reach the truth.
The Department of Justice issued a statement shortly after Democrats began calling for an investigation, explaining that the matter was not in the FBI’s jurisdiction, given that Ford did not accuse Kavanaugh of a federal crime, nor is there any evidence that he may be a national security risk.
Republicans have characterized Democratic demands as a stalling tactic to push Kavanaugh’s confirmation proceedings past the Nov. 6 midterm elections.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, was first notified of Ford’s allegation in late July but did not publicly disclose it at the time, saying she was honoring Ford’s request for privacy. Ford, who testified earlier on Thursday, went public with her accusation in an interview with the Washington Post in September after Kavanaugh’s initial confirmation hearing.
The committee is scheduled to vote Friday morning on whether to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.