To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
President Trump said Wednesday that the FBI is not in the position to investigate Christine Blasey Ford's allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh--even though the bureau investigated Anita Hill's claims of sexual harassment by Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991. (Photo edited by Slate/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
While Democrats including Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and women's advocacy groups have demanded for the fair treatment of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her while they were in high school, the White House and the Republican Party are falsely stating that little can be done to investigate Ford's allegations before the Senate votes on whether to give Kavanaugh a lifetime appointment to the high court.
President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that investigating a criminal allegation against a Supreme Court nominee is outside the FBI's purview, but critics have pointed to incidents where the bureau did just that--and the FBI itself denies that it has declined to investigate.
\u201cTrump, asked about the FBI investigating the Kavanaugh allegation, falsely says, "the FBI really doesn't do that."\n\nThe president can order the FBI to investigate. Bush did this with Anita Hill. Plus, Bloomberg reports the FBI never told Trump it doesn't want to be involved.\u201d— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1537365047
President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday morning that Ford's claim is "hard for me to believe," yet suggested his hands were tied in terms of getting to the bottom of the allegations.
"It would seem that the FBI really doesn't do that," Trump said when asked whether federal investigators would probe Ford's claim that Kavanaugh held her down on a bed during a party when they were both teenagers and tried to remove her clothes.
When the journalist replied that the bureau would investigate "if you asked them to," the president shrugged and suggested the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), had the situation under control.
\u201cREPORTER: Why don't you have the FBI investigate Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh?\n\nTRUMP: They don't really do that.\n\nREPORTER: The FBI would if you asked them to!\n\nTRUMP: Well, the senators should do it.\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1537364363
Citing sources familiar with the internal situation, Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the FBI has not said it won't or couldn't conduct an investigation, but that it can't do so with direction from the White House, which it hasn't received.
Investigating Ford's claims would be quite straightforward, former FBI agent Ronald Hosko told Bloomberg.
"The FBI is basically working for the White House," Hosko said. "Their job is to dig into the details and let the White House counsel know if there is derogatory information. You can go get yearbooks and start interviewing high school classmates. For creative-minded FBI people, they can generate leads all day long."
Trump's claim that the FBI "really doesn't" investigate claims like Ford's is discredited further by the 1991 confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who was subjected to an FBI probe after Anita Hill claimed he had sexually harassed her. The FBI conducted that investigation at the direction of President George H.W. Bush.
\u201cSeeing a curious line from some Republican accounts -- that the FBI doesn't investigate charges like the one leveled against Kavanaugh. \n\nThis is from ***Clarence Thomas's*** opening statement in 1991:\u201d— Steven Dennis (@Steven Dennis) 1537320704
As Trump pushed responsibility about calling for an FBI probe onto the GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley dismissed the possibility of delaying Kavanaugh's confirmation and said he "saw no reason" for such an investigation.
Trump and Grassley, along with other Republicans, have said Ford should simply tell her side of the story in a hearing next week while Kavanaugh is able to testify on his own behalf--a proceeding which critics say would amount to a repeat of Thomas's hearing 27 years ago, when Hill was subjected to attacks and ridicule by Republican senators--including Grassley.
\u201cThe Republican Senate abusers of Professor Anita Hill are now trying to abuse Professor Christine Blasey Ford. @OrrinHatch @ChuckGrassley\u201d— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence O'Donnell) 1537367702
Meanwhile, Hill herself on Wednesday called on the president and lawmakers in the Senate to "push the pause button" in order to give Ford and all Americans a proper accounting of the allegations against Kavanaugh before elevating him to one of the most powerful positions in the U.S. government.
"The American public really is expecting something more" than a "sham" hearing designed to quickly push through Kavanaugh's confirmation, Hill told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday. "They want to know that the Senate takes this seriously."
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
While Democrats including Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and women's advocacy groups have demanded for the fair treatment of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her while they were in high school, the White House and the Republican Party are falsely stating that little can be done to investigate Ford's allegations before the Senate votes on whether to give Kavanaugh a lifetime appointment to the high court.
President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that investigating a criminal allegation against a Supreme Court nominee is outside the FBI's purview, but critics have pointed to incidents where the bureau did just that--and the FBI itself denies that it has declined to investigate.
\u201cTrump, asked about the FBI investigating the Kavanaugh allegation, falsely says, "the FBI really doesn't do that."\n\nThe president can order the FBI to investigate. Bush did this with Anita Hill. Plus, Bloomberg reports the FBI never told Trump it doesn't want to be involved.\u201d— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1537365047
President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday morning that Ford's claim is "hard for me to believe," yet suggested his hands were tied in terms of getting to the bottom of the allegations.
"It would seem that the FBI really doesn't do that," Trump said when asked whether federal investigators would probe Ford's claim that Kavanaugh held her down on a bed during a party when they were both teenagers and tried to remove her clothes.
When the journalist replied that the bureau would investigate "if you asked them to," the president shrugged and suggested the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), had the situation under control.
\u201cREPORTER: Why don't you have the FBI investigate Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh?\n\nTRUMP: They don't really do that.\n\nREPORTER: The FBI would if you asked them to!\n\nTRUMP: Well, the senators should do it.\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1537364363
Citing sources familiar with the internal situation, Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the FBI has not said it won't or couldn't conduct an investigation, but that it can't do so with direction from the White House, which it hasn't received.
Investigating Ford's claims would be quite straightforward, former FBI agent Ronald Hosko told Bloomberg.
"The FBI is basically working for the White House," Hosko said. "Their job is to dig into the details and let the White House counsel know if there is derogatory information. You can go get yearbooks and start interviewing high school classmates. For creative-minded FBI people, they can generate leads all day long."
Trump's claim that the FBI "really doesn't" investigate claims like Ford's is discredited further by the 1991 confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who was subjected to an FBI probe after Anita Hill claimed he had sexually harassed her. The FBI conducted that investigation at the direction of President George H.W. Bush.
\u201cSeeing a curious line from some Republican accounts -- that the FBI doesn't investigate charges like the one leveled against Kavanaugh. \n\nThis is from ***Clarence Thomas's*** opening statement in 1991:\u201d— Steven Dennis (@Steven Dennis) 1537320704
As Trump pushed responsibility about calling for an FBI probe onto the GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley dismissed the possibility of delaying Kavanaugh's confirmation and said he "saw no reason" for such an investigation.
Trump and Grassley, along with other Republicans, have said Ford should simply tell her side of the story in a hearing next week while Kavanaugh is able to testify on his own behalf--a proceeding which critics say would amount to a repeat of Thomas's hearing 27 years ago, when Hill was subjected to attacks and ridicule by Republican senators--including Grassley.
\u201cThe Republican Senate abusers of Professor Anita Hill are now trying to abuse Professor Christine Blasey Ford. @OrrinHatch @ChuckGrassley\u201d— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence O'Donnell) 1537367702
Meanwhile, Hill herself on Wednesday called on the president and lawmakers in the Senate to "push the pause button" in order to give Ford and all Americans a proper accounting of the allegations against Kavanaugh before elevating him to one of the most powerful positions in the U.S. government.
"The American public really is expecting something more" than a "sham" hearing designed to quickly push through Kavanaugh's confirmation, Hill told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday. "They want to know that the Senate takes this seriously."
While Democrats including Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and women's advocacy groups have demanded for the fair treatment of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her while they were in high school, the White House and the Republican Party are falsely stating that little can be done to investigate Ford's allegations before the Senate votes on whether to give Kavanaugh a lifetime appointment to the high court.
President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that investigating a criminal allegation against a Supreme Court nominee is outside the FBI's purview, but critics have pointed to incidents where the bureau did just that--and the FBI itself denies that it has declined to investigate.
\u201cTrump, asked about the FBI investigating the Kavanaugh allegation, falsely says, "the FBI really doesn't do that."\n\nThe president can order the FBI to investigate. Bush did this with Anita Hill. Plus, Bloomberg reports the FBI never told Trump it doesn't want to be involved.\u201d— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1537365047
President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday morning that Ford's claim is "hard for me to believe," yet suggested his hands were tied in terms of getting to the bottom of the allegations.
"It would seem that the FBI really doesn't do that," Trump said when asked whether federal investigators would probe Ford's claim that Kavanaugh held her down on a bed during a party when they were both teenagers and tried to remove her clothes.
When the journalist replied that the bureau would investigate "if you asked them to," the president shrugged and suggested the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), had the situation under control.
\u201cREPORTER: Why don't you have the FBI investigate Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh?\n\nTRUMP: They don't really do that.\n\nREPORTER: The FBI would if you asked them to!\n\nTRUMP: Well, the senators should do it.\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1537364363
Citing sources familiar with the internal situation, Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the FBI has not said it won't or couldn't conduct an investigation, but that it can't do so with direction from the White House, which it hasn't received.
Investigating Ford's claims would be quite straightforward, former FBI agent Ronald Hosko told Bloomberg.
"The FBI is basically working for the White House," Hosko said. "Their job is to dig into the details and let the White House counsel know if there is derogatory information. You can go get yearbooks and start interviewing high school classmates. For creative-minded FBI people, they can generate leads all day long."
Trump's claim that the FBI "really doesn't" investigate claims like Ford's is discredited further by the 1991 confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who was subjected to an FBI probe after Anita Hill claimed he had sexually harassed her. The FBI conducted that investigation at the direction of President George H.W. Bush.
\u201cSeeing a curious line from some Republican accounts -- that the FBI doesn't investigate charges like the one leveled against Kavanaugh. \n\nThis is from ***Clarence Thomas's*** opening statement in 1991:\u201d— Steven Dennis (@Steven Dennis) 1537320704
As Trump pushed responsibility about calling for an FBI probe onto the GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley dismissed the possibility of delaying Kavanaugh's confirmation and said he "saw no reason" for such an investigation.
Trump and Grassley, along with other Republicans, have said Ford should simply tell her side of the story in a hearing next week while Kavanaugh is able to testify on his own behalf--a proceeding which critics say would amount to a repeat of Thomas's hearing 27 years ago, when Hill was subjected to attacks and ridicule by Republican senators--including Grassley.
\u201cThe Republican Senate abusers of Professor Anita Hill are now trying to abuse Professor Christine Blasey Ford. @OrrinHatch @ChuckGrassley\u201d— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence O'Donnell) 1537367702
Meanwhile, Hill herself on Wednesday called on the president and lawmakers in the Senate to "push the pause button" in order to give Ford and all Americans a proper accounting of the allegations against Kavanaugh before elevating him to one of the most powerful positions in the U.S. government.
"The American public really is expecting something more" than a "sham" hearing designed to quickly push through Kavanaugh's confirmation, Hill told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday. "They want to know that the Senate takes this seriously."