Ford attorneys slam FBI’s Kavanaugh investigation for not interviewing Ford, witnesses

Lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, said Wednesday night that they were “profoundly disappointed” in the FBI’s investigation of allegations against Kavanaugh.

“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. We are profoundly disappointed that after the tremendous sacrifice she made in coming forward, those directing the FBI investigation were not interested in seeking the truth,” Ford’s counsel said in a statement.

{mosads}Ford’s legal team told The Hill earlier Wednesday that it had not heard from the FBI about her allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party in the early 1980s. Ford alleges that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her and tried to remove her clothing; Kavanaugh has denied any wrongdoing.

Attorneys for Ford told Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) earlier Wednesday that they would be willing to turn over certain documents he requested to the FBI, provided the bureau agreed to interview her as part of its investigation.

“Dr. Ford is prepared to provide those documents to the FBI when she is interviewed. We have not yet heard from the FBI about scheduling an interview with her,” Ford’s lawyers Debra Katz and Lisa Banks wrote in a letter to Grassley.

Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the FBI had not received clear authority from the White House to interview Kavanaugh or Ford.

“We’re going to allow the Senate to make the determination of the scope,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Wednesday when asked about limits the FBI investigation.

Sanders said Trump has “also asked that the Senate be the ones that determine the scope of what they need to make a decision on whether they vote Kavanaugh up or down.”

Both Kavanaugh and Ford testified during a closely watched, highly emotional hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.

The statement from Ford’s lawyers comes after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) teed up a key vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination for Friday.

“There will be plenty of time for Members to review and be briefed on this supplemental material before a Friday cloture vote. So I am filing cloture on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination this evening so the process can move forward, as I indicated earlier this week,” McConnell said.

McConnell noted that the Senate will receive the FBI’s investigation on Wednesday night. Senators are expected to begin reviewing the documents on Thursday morning.