FBI just interviewed the guy who hosted the July 1st party on Brett Kavanaugh’s calendar
It’s clear that the FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh isn’t nearly as broad or inclusive as it reasonably should be. But even as Jeff Flake keeps calling for a more comprehensive investigation, while Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell try to protect Kavanaugh, one crucial detail has surfaced. The FBI has interviewed a key player in the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, and he’s someone who is not on the original list of four permitted witnesses.
It’s been widely reported that Trump originally ordered the FBI to interview just four people: Mark Judge, P.J. Smyth, Leland Keyser, and Deborah Ramirez. But now we know that the FBI has, at the least, interviewed a fifth witness. Brett Kavanaugh’s 1982 calendar says that on July 1st, he attended a part at “Timmy’s house” – a lot of observers have come to suspect that this was the party in which Kavanaugh allegedly attempted to rape Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. The “Timmy” in question is Tim Gaudette.
Tonight the New York Times says that “Mr. Gaudette has hired a lawyer to represent him and has also been interviewed by the FBI.” This demonstrates two things. First, it proves that the investigation has in fact expanded beyond the original four witnesses, as “Timmy” is (at least) witness number five. It also strongly suggests that the FBI thinks the incident may have indeed happened at Timmy’s house.
So where does this get us? There are clearly far more restrictions on the FBI probe into Brett Kavanaugh than there should be. But this proves that the FBI has in fact moved beyond those restrictions. It’s also a reminder that the FBI does not generally make any announcements during an ongoing investigation. We’re only learning that “Timmy” Gaudette has been interviewed by the FBI because he’s announced it to the media. Now we know that at least five people have been interviewed. We don’t know if even more people have been interviewed.
