Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced over the weekend he plans to launch a “full-scale investigation” into who, exactly, leaked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s letter, in which she revealed her claim that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her many years ago, to the press.
In an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Graham told host George Stephanopoulos he believes the Democrats concocted this “despicable process” in order to delay the vote to place Kavanuagh on the high court.
Sen. Lindsey Graham tells @GStephanopoulos he's going to call for an investigation into "a despicable process," including "who in Feinstein's office" referred Christine Blasey Ford to her attorney Debra Katz and "who betrayed Dr. Ford's trust" https://t.co/62DaTDV6ZT #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/qzRQOOyOok
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 1, 2018
“The FBI will do a supplemental background investigation, then I’m going to call for an investigation of what happened in this committee,” the senator said. “Who betrayed Dr. Ford’s trust? Who in [Sen. Dianne] Feinstein’s office recommended [Debra] Katz as a lawyer? Why did Ms. Ford not know that the committee was willing to go to California?”
Graham’s last question referred to the fact that Ford seemed unaware during her testimony last Thursday that Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee — including chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) — had offered to travel to her home in California in order to discuss her allegations against Kavanaugh.
Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, insisted during last week’s hearings she had nothing to do with Ford’s letter being given to members of the press.
Ford initially sent a letter to Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) in early July, explaining her allegation that Kavanaugh attempted to molest her when they were both teenagers some 36 years ago. Eshoo sat on the letter, ignoring the 51-year-old psychology professor’s claim.
Then in mid-September, weeks after learning about Ford’s accusation and after Kavanaugh had already been through confirmation hearings, Sen. Feinstein, who got a hold of the letter somewhere along the way, spoke out about Ford’s charges against the Supreme Court nominee.
During the hearings, Graham called the entire ordeal an “unethical sham.”