GOP requests update on criminal referrals prompted by 2018 Kavanaugh probe

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee want to know if the Justice Department took action on four criminal referrals made during the panel’s 2018 probe into allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

The GOP senators previously made four referrals to the Justice Department, two related to Michael Avenatti, a third about an individual who claimed Kavanaugh assaulted a woman in Rhode Island and a fourth from a woman who initially claimed that she was the author of a letter “containing highly graphic sexual assault allegations” against Kavanaugh.

{mosads}“In each of the aforementioned cases, the referred individual(s) made false allegations against then-Judge Kavanaugh. These allegations were taken seriously and carefully investigated by Committee staff, resulting in the diversion of significant resources,” the nine GOP senators wrote in a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday.

Kavanaugh faced multiple accusations of sexual assault and misconduct during the confirmation process. He repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

“The next Supreme Court nominee should not have to defend himself or herself against baseless and fabricated allegations, and Committee staff should not have to spend valuable time investigating them,” the GOP senators added.

Republicans want to know if the FBI opened an investigation into the referrals, and if the referrals were sent to the Justice Department for prosecution.

If the cases were sent to the Justice Department for prosecution, senators want to know which referrals DOJ rejected and which were accepted.

The letter comes around the one-year anniversary of Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation in a 50-48 vote. Every Republican, except Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), supported him. Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) was the only Democrat to vote for him.

Tuesday’s letter was signed by Sens. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Mike Lee (Utah), Ted Cruz (Texas), John Cornyn (Texas), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Thom Tillis (N.C.), John Kennedy (La.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.).