The FBI hit an important milestone in its one-week investigation of Brett Kavanaugh’s background by completing its interview with Kavanaugh’s high school friend Mark Judge.
Judge’s lawyer confirmed the FBI interview had been completed, CNN reported. Agents also contacted Judge Monday.
Judge had furnished a letter to the Senate Judiciary rebutting Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations he was present during a sexual assault at a house party decades ago. Ford claims Judge was in an upstairs bedroom and jumped on top off the couple, toppling them and allowing her to escape the room after being groped and having her mouth covered by Kavanaugh to silence her.
Kavanaugh strongly denied the charge in his own Senate testimony.
The FBI had completed its interview with Mark Judge, pictured left while in high school with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, right
The completion of the Judge interview could signal the FBI is on pace to meet its Friday deadline. The White House directed the bureau to complete its work this week, under parameters set by a small group of GOP senators who demanded the investigation following Ford and Kavanaugh’s testimony.
The development came as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attacked Democrats for pursuing the ‘politics of personal destruction’ in a fiery floor speech where he insisted the Senate would vote ‘this week’ on the embattled judge.
‘I wish this fight could have remained in the realm of normalcy,’ McConnell said, as FBI agents continued to probe sexual assault allegations against the Supreme Court nominee.
Accuser: Julie Swetnick’s dramatic testimony is a new blow to Brett Kavanaugh
McConnell slammed a third accuser, Julie Swetnick, whose allegations were brought forward by Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti.
‘A tabloid lawyer organized a red carpet rollout for someone who wanted to accuse Judge Kavanaugh of masterminding some kind of high school drug and serial sexual assault ring,’ said McConnell.
‘This is how desperate some became,’ said McConnell.
However key vote Sen. Susan Collins of Maine wants the FBI to investigate claims by Swetnick.
Her spokeswoman, Annie Clark, said Collins, Sen. Jeff Flake, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski ‘advocated for the additional background investigation because she believed that it could help the senators evaluate the claims that have been brought to the Judiciary Committee,’
‘That would include the allegations that were brought by Julie Swetnick,’ she told the Portland Press Herald.