The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has asked the Justice Department to further investigate a California woman, claiming that she admitted making a false accusation of rape against Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings, saying the woman confessed Thursday that she made the accusation to help derail Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination.
"When questioned by Committee investigators she admitted it was false, a “ploy,” and a “tactic,” Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) wrote in a letter to the Attorney General and the FBI Director. "She was opposed to Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation."
In his letter, Grassley described how committee investigators had interviewed the woman, Ms. Judy Munro-Leighton, on Thursday of this week, and that she admitted her claims were false.
"Under questioning by Committee investigators, Ms. Munro-Leighton admitted, contrary to her prior claims, that she had not been sexually assaulted by Judge Kavanaugh," Grassley wrote.
"She further confessed to Committee investigators that (1) she “just wanted to get attention”; (2) “it was a tactic”; and (3) “that was just a ploy,"" the letter continued.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Grassley said he wants Munro-Leighton investigated for making false statements and obstruction of the Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into misconduct claims against Justice Kavanaugh.
"I am once again writing regarding fabricated allegations," Grassley began his letter.
"While many of those individuals have provided the Committee information in good faith, it unfortunately appears some have not," the Iowa Republican added.
Grassley said because of the woman's unique name, it wasn't hard to figure out that her story didn't match up with facts.
"Committee investigators were able to use open-source research to locate Ms. Munro-Leighton and determine that she: (1) is a left-wing activist; (2) is decades older than Judge Kavanaugh; and (3) lives in neither the Washington DC area nor California, but in Kentucky," he wrote.
Grassley said that when confronted with those details this week, Munro-Leighton not only admitted that her allegation was false, but that she had never met the judge.
"Oh Lord, no," the committee quoted her as replying.
This is the second referral for criminal prosecution by Grassley's panel in the last eight days; on October 25, he asked DOJ to consider an investigation of lawyer Michael Avenatti, and Julie Swetnick, who had accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, as Grassley alleged that 'materially false statements' were made to the committee.
"It is illegal to knowingly and willfully make materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements to Congressional investigators," Grassley wrote in his letter about Avenatti and Swetnick.
Grassley can refer such cases to the Justice Department, but it does not guarantee any actual legal action will take place against those named by the committee.
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