Senator Murray on Rushed, Limited FBI Investigation of Judge Kavanaugh: “Once again, the voices of women and their experiences have been silenced and pushed aside”

“I can say that absolutely nothing I saw makes me believe Dr. Ford any less. And in fact, based on what I saw I am even more concerned about the veracity of some of what we heard from Judge Kavanaugh. But even more important than anything we heard from the FBI today was how much we weren’t able to see because the investigation was so limited” 

“For those concerned about us in the Senate doing our jobs and not confirming Judge Kavanaugh to a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court without a truly thorough investigation into credible allegations of sexual assault and whether or not he lied to the Senate under oath, this cannot be the end of the process” 

“If this does end up being jammed through as Republican leaders currently intend… it would eliminate any remaining trust that people have in Senate Republican leaders to allow us to fulfill our constitutional advice and consent role and not simply be a rubber stamp for President Trump”

 (Washington, D.C.)  – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement:

 “I am extremely disappointed that Senate Republican leaders and President Trump have cut the FBI off and clearly refused to allow them to conduct the comprehensive and thorough investigation that was promised to Democrats and Republicans. The question everyone should be asking right now is: what are Republican leaders so afraid the FBI would find if they were allowed to take the full week allotted to truly conduct a thorough investigation and talk to additional relevant witnesses?

“This process was clearly rigged from the start to protect Judge Kavanaugh and prevent the FBI from conducting a thorough investigation. First, President Trump mocked and attacked Dr. Ford, then he directed the FBI to ignore her and not even interview her. We know from press reports that Judge Kavanaugh wasn’t questioned again. We have heard from so many other witnesses who were desperate to talk to the FBI because they had relevant information that they wanted to share in confidence, and as far as we know, they were never even contacted. And now, Senators had to line up to read a single copy of the limited FBI report over the course the day, we are not allowed to share what we see or even take any notes out of the room, and we are not permitted to ask the FBI agents who actually conducted the investigation any questions. And as if the sham wasn’t clear enough, Republican leaders set up a vote on Judge Kavanaugh last night before we even got the FBI report back so that they can jam this through as quickly as possible.

“Although I am not permitted to share what I heard and read in the briefing today, I can say that absolutely nothing I saw makes me believe Dr. Ford any less. And in fact, based on what I saw I am even more concerned about the veracity of some of what we heard from Judge Kavanaugh. But even more important than anything we heard from the FBI today was how much we weren’t able to see because the investigation was so limited. Once again, the voices of women and their experiences have been silenced and pushed aside.

“For those concerned about us in the Senate doing our jobs and not confirming Judge Kavanaugh to a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court without a truly thorough investigation into credible allegations of sexual assault and whether or not he lied to the Senate under oath, this cannot be the end of the process. A truly thorough investigation must be completed as promised so that Senators hear from all relevant witnesses and gather all relevant information before we cast a vote on this confirmation. This can be done quickly, but it must be done right.

“I believe Dr. Ford. And to me, Judge Kavanaugh has also shown so clearly that he does not have the temperament or credibility to serve on the Supreme Court. But for any of my colleagues who may not be persuaded yet and have bravely stood up to ask for more information and a thorough investigation, and for all of us who believe that the Senate should do its jobs and get this right, we cannot rush this to a finish.

“If this does end up being jammed through as Republican leaders currently intend, there will be tremendous anger and backlash across the country from those who are shocked to see the voices of women and survivors ignored like this and shocked to see someone with Judge Kavanaugh’s temperament and credibility issues on the highest court in the land. It would completely undermine the public’s trust in the credibility of the Supreme Court as information continues to come out from investigations that will continue whether or not he is confirmed. And it would eliminate any remaining trust that people have in Senate Republican leaders to allow us to fulfill our constitutional advice and consent role and not simply be a rubber stamp for President Trump.”