The bitter Senate fight to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court plunged into deeper chaos as a top Democrat disclosed she had referred “information” about President Trump’s nominee to the FBI, the Washington Post reports. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) issued a brief, cryptic statement about the referral. The information came in a letter that describes an alleged episode of sexual misconduct involving the 53-year-old Kavanaugh when he was in high school. The White House called the move a desperate, last-minute campaign to tear down a qualified nominee, and the FBI does not plan on investigating the matter. The disclosure came as a battle over Kavanaugh’s confirmation continued to escalate, with a handful of moderate senators who would decide his fate deliberating on how they would vote. “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation,” Kavanaugh said in a statement distributed through the White House. “I did not do this back in high school or at any time.”
Senate Republicans said Kavanaugh’s nomination remains on track, but two swing GOP votes — Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — have not announced their positions and face intense pressure at home to oppose Kavanaugh, injecting uncertainty into the outcome. Collins planned to speak to Kavanaugh on Friday. In Alaska, the state’s largest Native American organization urged Murkowski to reject the nominee. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) asked Kavanaugh several questions in writing about gambling, including whether the judge had ever reported a gambling loss to the Internal Revenue Service and whether Kavanaugh had sought treatment for a gambling addiction. The nominee said no to both questions. The drama on Thursday centered on the mysterious letter cited by Feinstein. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination next Thursday.