Was Brett Kavanaugh Thoroughly Checked Before Being Nominated To The Supreme Court?

 I was listening to an Al Franken Podcast one morning, where he was interviewing Sheldon Whitehouse.  One topic they discussed was whether there was a proper background check done by the FBI during the Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing.

First, Sheldon Whitehead is a highly respected senator, promoting progressive ideas.  Prior to becoming senator of Rhode Island, he was Attorney General of the state during the Clinton years.  Now, he has asked Merrick Garland to help facilitate "proper oversight" in Brett Kavanaugh's background check process in 2018.

As I'm sure you remember, the confirmation process for Kavanaugh was tumultuous.  I remember Ron and I were driving to Phoenix to visit friends, and were glued to the radio.  The testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, who claimed Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, was compelling.  Kavanaugh denied the claims.  The FBI interviewed a number of people after listening to the testimony, but they did not interview Kavanaugh or Ford as part of the probe.

Whitehouse's concern is that some witnesses who wanted to share information with the FBI could not find anyone at the bureau to accept their testimony.  No one had been assigned to accept or gather information.  This is unique behavior, as the FBI is usually seeking information and evidence, but in this matter, the doors were closed.  

The FBI  created a tip line.  He said the senators had been made aware of a"stack" of information that had come through the tip line, but were given no information on how the information had been reviewed.  In fact, the information was NOT reviewed.  The tip line appears to have operated more like a garbage chute, with everything that came down the chute consigned to the dumpster. 

This appears to be worthy of further investigation, and I hope Merrick Garland will do what is necessary.  Thoroughly investigate Kavanaugh's background check process, and determine whether it was thorough.  We deserve to have the highest quality individuals on the court, and full transparency is necessary to assure that we do.