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What We Know About FBI’s ‘Sham’ Kavanaugh Investigation and How Trump WH Blocked the Probe

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A years-long investigation by a top Senate Democrat of the FBI’s 2018 supplemental background investigation into multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by Brett Kavanaugh, in the middle of his confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, finds the Trump White House and then-President Donald Trump himself engaged in a “sham” process to ensure the nominee was placed on the nation’s highest court.

“New report details how the Trump White House restricted FBI investigators and lied to the American people about the investigation and tip line. Six-year-long Senate inquiry was hampered by repeated executive branch obstruction,” reads the introduction to the 32-page report by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts and one of the leading advocates for Supreme Court reform.

“In 2018, I pledged to Christine Blasey Ford that I’d keep digging, for however long it took, and not give up or move on from the Trump White House’s shameful confirmation process for Justice Kavanaugh,” Senator Whitehouse says. “A full, proper investigation is the bare minimum that victims who come forward – like Dr. Ford and Deborah Ramirez – deserve. This report shows that the supplemental background investigation was a sham, controlled by the Trump White House, to give political cover to Senate Republicans and put Justice Kavanaugh back on the political track to confirmation.”

Dr. Ford was Kanvanaugh’s main accuser. She had confidentially told her Congresswoman, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and later, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who was the Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, that in high school Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her. A lie detector test administered by a former FBI agent found Dr. Ford to be truthful.

RELATED: There Was Another Sexual Misconduct Accusation About Brett Kavanaugh – The FBI Refused to Investigate

Senator Whitehouse’s report finds:

“The FBI’s supplemental background investigation concluded on October 4. Despite credible allegations from two different women, hundreds of witness leads and tips the FBI received, and the high stakes of a life-tenured Supreme Court nomination, the FBI ultimately interviewed only ten people.”

“The supplemental background investigation was completely controlled by the Trump White House. The FBI was never given ‘free rein’ to conduct a thorough, complete investigation. Statements to the contrary from former President Trump and White House and Department of Justice officials were false.”

“The investigation was directed by the Trump White House to pursue only first-hand evidence and not corroborating evidence. Senate Republicans then cited the absence of corroborating evidence to justify confirming Kavanaugh.”

Pointing to this “absence of corroborating evidence,” The Washington Post reports it “was cited by senators as they narrowly voted to confirm Kavanaugh, marking a major triumph for the conservative movement and locking in a right-leaning majority that would later overturn the constitutional right to abortion.”

But among the most-damning facts Senator Whitehouse’s report reveals is the “FBI’s public ‘tip line’ investigation was a fake. No tip was ever investigated; Kavanaugh-related tips were delivered straight to the Trump White House without FBI investigation. Indeed, the Trump White House could have used tip line information to steer FBI investigators away from derogatory evidence.”

That fact was confirmed and made public in 2022 during sworn Senate testimony by FBI Director Chris Wray to Senator Whitehouse, on which NCRM reported at the time (video below).

READ MORE: Chief Justice ‘Shaken’ by Public Reaction to Him Handing Trump Near-Total Immunity

“So when it comes to the tip line, we wanted to make sure that the White House had all the information we had, so when the hundreds of calls started coming in, we gathered those up, reviewed them and provided them to the White House —” Director Wray said.

“Without investigation,” Sen. Whitehouse interjected.

“We reviewed them and then provided them —” Wray replied.

“You reviewed them for purposes of separating from tipline traffic, but did not further investigate the ones that related to Kavanaugh, correct?” Sen. Whitehouse asked.

“Uh, correct,” Wray responded.

Professor of law, MSNBC/NBC News legal analyst, and former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance responded to news of Tuesday’s report: “A different FBI Director might have resigned in protest: The report found messages to the FBI tip line regarding Kavanaugh were forwarded to the WH & never probed.”

The Post notes that at the time, Trump “vowed that the FBI would have ‘free rein’ to vet the claims. Trump said the FBI was ‘talking to everybody’ and added on social media: ‘I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion.'”

That apparently was a lie.

The Post reports, “the White House never authorized the agency to independently probe the sexual misconduct allegations.”

In fact, the FBI never interviewed Dr. Ford or Brett Kavanaugh, who at the time of his nomination to the Supreme Court was a federal appeals court judge, as part of its supplemental investigation.

Sen. Whitehouse’s report also reveals there did not seem to be anyone at the FBI actually working on the investigation.

“Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee also individually contacted the FBI to provide names of people with potentially corroborating or otherwise relevant information who had reached out after trying—but failing—to get in touch with FBI investigators. Some of these individuals, including Max Stier, a college classmate of Kavanaugh’s, contacted Senator Coons after they had ‘difficulty reaching anyone’ at the FBI who would ‘collect their information.’ Senator Coons wrote directly to Director Wray to request ‘appropriate follow up’ with Stier in particular. Ultimately, many people were referred or resorted to the agency’s online and telephonic ‘tip line,’ which did not result in any follow-up from the FBI.”

After Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing but before the vote that would end up placing him on the Supreme Court, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow reported, “Kavanaugh may have lied to the Senate, pretty extensively, in order to obtain the currency that he already has on a federal appeals court.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘They Are Partners’: Experts Warn on Trump and Putin After Bombshell Woodward Revelations

 

Image: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

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‘Impossible to Lose’: Trump Pitches Strategy to Cement One-Party Rule

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November 7, 2025

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President Donald Trump renewed his demand that Republican senators eliminate the 60-vote filibuster, which he sees as one of the biggest roadblocks to achieving his far-reaching agenda. Now, he said he wants to eliminate the filibuster as a way to ensure permanent Republican control of the government.

The president has been calling for senators to act, despite Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s strong opposition to invoking the “nuclear option.”

In a lengthy Truth Social post last week, Trump expressed his agenda.

“It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” he declared.

READ MORE: Trump Admin Starts Setting Stage for Recession — and Shifting the Blame

He warned that Democrats want to “substantially expand (PACK!) the United States Supreme Court, make Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico States (Thereby automatically picking up 4 Senate seats, many House seats, and at least 8 Electoral Votes!), and many other highly destructive things.”

“Well, now WE are in power, and if we did what we should be doing, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, Country destroying ‘SHUT DOWN.'”

Trump then admitted: “I want to do it in order to take advantage of the Democrats….”

Trump has repeated his call to end the filibuster several times since then, most recently on Friday afternoon.

“The Democrats will do this,” he said of killing the filibuster, “so if the Democrats are gonna do it, I’m saying Republicans should do it before they get a chance.”

“It’s very simple,” Trump explained.

READ MORE: Democratic Rep. Interrupts Speaker Johnson — Accuses Him of ‘Lies’

“And if we do it, we will never lose the midterms, and we will never lose the general election, because we will have produced so many different things for our people — for the people, for the country — that it would be impossible to lose an election.”

Critics quickly weighed in with warnings.

“I thought the vice president Vance statement about ignoring judges would be it for today,” wrote The Steady State, a group of over 350 former national security and intelligence officials, referring to JD Vance’s apparent suggestion to ignore a federal judge’s order to release about $6 billion in SNAP funds.

“President Trump went a little farther in terms of crossing yet another red line,” the group continued, “explaining why he wants [the] filibuster gone he is very clear. One party rule. Elections that he and his never lose —— that is autocracy.”

READ MORE: ‘Make Lots of Trump Babies’: Dr. Oz Highlights Midterm Goals

 

Image via Reuters

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‘Unique Action’: Trump Admin Spins Flight Cancellations as Fix for Traveling Frustration

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November 7, 2025

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U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy sought Friday to cast a positive light on the Federal Aviation Administration’s order requiring airlines to cut ten percent of flights at 40 major airports — a move prompted by overworked air traffic controllers who have gone weeks without pay as the government shutdown stretches into its 38th day with no immediate end in sight.

More than 800 flights nationwide were canceled on Friday, leaving some travelers “scrambling to figure out backup plans,” the Associated Press reported.

But According to Secretary Duffy, he has come up with a “unique action” that reduces a major frustration of air travel: flight delays.

READ MORE: Trump Admin Starts Setting Stage for Recession — and Shifting the Blame

“I asked the head of the air traffic controller union to reach out to his controllers, to ask them to show up. It is their jobs,” Duffy said on Friday.

“If they start coming to work, we may have the same experience we had in Newark: We had delays and cancellations in Newark in the early summer. We reduced the capacity, and then the flights were on time. Right?”

“It was the most on-time months we had in Newark ever,” he added. “So that could be an outcome of what we’re doing, and we’ll see probably more people on less flights, which means less pressure on controllers.”

READ MORE: ‘Make Lots of Trump Babies’: Dr. Oz Highlights Midterm Goals

Secretary Duffy also said, “There’s a very easy solution to the problem that they put directly on my lap, which is open the damn government. Vote to open the government, so those who snipe at me for having to take really unique action — they put that on my plate.”

Critics blasted Duffy.

Republican former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger wrote: “Cutting flights because of the govt shutdown is a stunt, plain and simple.”

He also remarked, “We’re cutting flights and food because of the govt shutdown but ICE is out [in] full force!”

READ MORE: Democratic Rep. Interrupts Speaker Johnson — Accuses Him of ‘Lies’

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Trump Admin Starts Setting Stage for Recession — and Shifting the Blame

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November 7, 2025

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The Trump administration has begun quietly preparing Americans for the possibility that the economy may be nearing a recession — a broad and painful downturn that officials appear increasingly concerned may be on the horizon.

Economist Kevin Hassett, director of the Trump White House’s National Economic Council, on Friday laid both the groundwork and the blame for any impending recession.

“There’s holiday travel, but there’s business travel,” he told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cut ten percent of flights — about 700 — in 40 high-volume markets across the country as air traffic controllers, who have not been paid in weeks due to the federal government shutdown, are increasingly overworked and under financial strain.

“Business travel is a really big, important part of air travel, and if ten percent of business travel isn’t happening, those are deals that aren’t being cut, and hotel rooms that aren’t being filled,” Hassett explained. “And so the ripple effects, and then the multiplier effects of all that, are really, really large.”

READ MORE: ‘Make Lots of Trump Babies’: Dr. Oz Highlights Midterm Goals

“And so I think Secretary Bessent wisely said we’re starting to see pockets of the economy that look like they might be in a recession, that we’re not in a recession because of this, but there are pockets that are really hurting,” he added. “And if we go another month or so, then who knows how bad the economy could be this quarter?”

“And we know whose fault that will be,” Hassett said.

Hassett was referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s remarks earlier this week.

“I think that there are sectors of the economy that are in recession,” Bessent said on CNN on Sunday, as The New York Times reported.

“He described the economy as being in a ‘period of transition’ because of a pullback in government spending to reduce the deficit,” the Times added. “He called on the Fed[eral Reserve] to support the economy by cutting interest rates.”

The Times also explained the White House’s strategy:

“Mr. Bessent’s remarks added to pressure on the Fed and deflected blame from Mr. Trump in case the economy does ultimately face a downturn, reinforcing a strategy that has been in place since the start of the year. As the administration has imposed aggressive tariffs on nearly all of America’s trading partners and slashed federal spending, potentially slowing growth, it has sought to pin blame squarely on the Fed in the event of an economic downturn.”

READ MORE: Democratic Rep. Interrupts Speaker Johnson — Accuses Him of ‘Lies’

But Hassett’s remarks appeared focused on pinning the blame for a possible recession on the shutdown of the federal government, which Republicans and the White House insist is the fault of Democrats.

President Donald Trump has railed against the Democrats over the shutdown, while increasingly demanding the Senate end it by going “nuclear” and eliminating the upper chamber’s 60-vote threshold for the filibuster, opting instead for a simple majority of votes to pass legislation.

For example, on Tuesday in a Truth Social post, President Trump vowed to hold up SNAP funds despite court orders, writing that food stamp benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”

READ MORE: ‘Sick’: Hunger Caucus Head Slams GOP for ‘Starving Children’ by ‘Weaponizing’ SNAP

 

Image via Reuters

 

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