Dianne Feinstein Acknowledges Having A Secret Brett Kavanaugh Document

WASHINGTON ― Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) acknowledged Thursday that she has a document concerning Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that she has so far refused to share, despite behind-the-scenes requests to do so from her fellow Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee.

“I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” Feinstein said in a statement. “That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.”

The California Democrat, who is the senior minority member on the committee, had thus far refused to answer questions about the document, which was first reported by The Intercept.

Multiple sources have told HuffPost that the document in question is a letter sent to Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) that concerns a decades-old incident involving Kavanaugh and a woman. Eshoo’s office has also declined to comment, saying the letter was considered casework ― and thus wouldn’t be made public ― since it came from a constituent.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who chairs the judiciary committee, said Thursday he was aware of the matter, but declined to comment because he had not seen the document in question.

“All I know is what I read, and I wouldn’t make any judgment of it until I get more information,” Grassley told reporters outside a Senate judiciary committee hearing concerning Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told BuzzFeed Thursday that the matter had been referred to the FBI. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A lawyer who is reportedly representing the woman was spotted leaving the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday evening shortly after the Intercept report was published. The lawyer, Debra Katz, has not responded to HuffPost’s requests for comment.

The document is only the latest to create controversy amid the battle over Kavanaugh’s nomination, which is expected to receive a favorable vote in committee on Sept. 20. Republicans on Thursday voted down several attempts by Democrats to subpoena hundreds of thousands of documents that have been deemed privileged and unavailable to the public, including those related to Kavanaugh’s work as a key administration official for former President George W. Bush.