Washington, DC – October 25, 2024 – Yesterday, over 50 organizations submitted a letter to Congress, urging lawmakers to address the FBI’s mishandling of its supplemental investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The call for accountability follows a recent report from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) that reveals new details about the investigation’s shortcomings and underscores the urgent need for further scrutiny.

The letter highlights procedural flaws, a lack of transparency and other serious concerns about the FBI’s investigation, which failed to investigate credible allegations during Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. More than 4,500 leads were submitted to the FBI, yet the investigation’s scope remained limited and key witnesses — including Kavanaugh — were never interviewed.

The groups in their letter call on Congress to take the following actions:

• Prevent future political interference by the executive branch in background investigations.
• Reopen the Kavanaugh investigation to thoroughly pursue the thousands of leads provided to the FBI.
• Interview key witnesses, including Justice Kavanaugh, to seek and uncover additional evidence.
• If corroborating evidence supports that Justice Kavanaugh was not truthful during his Senate testimony, initiate appropriate proceedings for accountability.

“Sen. Whitehouse’s report confirms what many of us have long suspected — that the FBI’s investigation into the reports of sexual harassment by Brett Kavanaugh was anything but thorough,” said Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center and spokesperson for the coalition. “What’s worse, we now know that the White House limited the scope of the investigation, refusing to allow witnesses with crucial details to be interviewed. This abuse of power demands that Congress take immediate action. Failure to do so would be a grave miscarriage of justice and further erode trust in our institutions.”

The coalition, which includes the National Women’s Law Center, UltraViolet, and Court Accountability, represents a broad spectrum of advocates for judicial accountability, survivors’ rights, and governmental transparency. Together, the group urges Congress to restore integrity to this investigation and protect the credibility of future judicial confirmations.