This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
On September 17, 2018, the F.B.I. was alerted to a new allegation against Justice Brett Kavanaugh during the Senate hearings. The revelation came after Senator Chris Coons expressed frustration with the scope of the inquiry.
Ms. Rachel Maddow, speaking on behalf of both reporters, said that while she would “take issue” with Mr. Grassley’s “characterization,” she “can’t get into who our sources were” to protect their confidentiality.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, called for a full, fair investigation into the allegations, stating, “It was a sham, as we said then, and there should be a full inquiry now.”
According to a book by Ms. Pogrebin and Ms. Kelly, Senator Coons called the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, on his cellphone to complain about the scope of the inquiry. Mr. McGahn told the senator that the investigation would be conducted “by the book.”
Senator Coons responded, “So I said: ‘Don, thank you, this is great. Send me the book,’” as quoted in the book. In an interview, Senator Coons reiterated his concerns about the inquiry, stating it was “inadequate, brief, cramped and narrow.”
Despite calls for Justice Kavanaugh’s impeachment, Democrats in Congress signaled they were cool to the idea. Representative Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, viewed the F.B.I.’s background investigation as a “sham” but did not promise any additional action.
