The sexual assault allegation levied against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh “does not involve any potential federal crime,” said a Justice Department spokesperson Monday evening.
Kavanaugh, whose confirmation has hit some turbulence, faces an allegation from Christine Blasey Ford, a 51-year-old professor at Palo Alto University who revealed her identity to the Washington Post over the weekend. She claims Kavanaugh forced himself on her at a party in the early 1980s when they were both teenagers.
Kavanaugh “categorically and unequivocally” denies the allegation.
While the matter was referred to the FBI, the DOJ spokesperson said it is not the responsibility of the bureau to “make any judgment about the credibility or significance of any allegation.”
A background investigation conducted by the FBI only looks at whether the nominee “could pose a risk to the national security of the United States,” the DOJ spokesperson said.
The FBI received a letter on Sept. 12 that Ford wrote to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., in July detailing the allegation. The spokesperson said it has forwarded this letter to the White House Counsel’s Office.
The Senate will hold a public hearing on Monday to give a “full airing” to both Kavanaugh and his accuser. The move delays a planned Thursday vote to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination and it comes after Democrats refused to participate in a Monday evening staff call with Kavanaugh and Ford, held separately.
