What's in the Letter Dianne Feinstein Just Submitted to the FBI?

As the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh inches closer to its seemingly inevitable conclusion, a letter that purportedly alleges decades-old claims of possible sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh has been sent to the FBI for potential investigation.

The existence of the letter was made known to the broader public on Wednesday when The Intercept shared that it had made its way to Senator Dianne Feinstein, after first being sent to California Representative Anna Eshoo, who then shared it with Feinstein’s office. The Intercept also reported that the woman who is the subject of the letter is being represented by Debra Katz, described as “a whistleblower attorney who works with #MeToo survivors.” BuzzFeed News reported that Katz, who has not confirmed she is representing the woman, was seen leaving Capitol Hill Wednesday evening. “There’s nothing to say,” she told BuzzFeed News.

As BuzzFeed News wrote, rumors of the contents of the letter have circulated in Congress during the past week. While most with knowledge of the letter are keeping their lips tightly sealed for the moment, the New York Times reported on Thursday that “[t]wo officials familiar with the matter say the incident involved possible sexual misconduct between Judge Kavanaugh and a woman when they were both in high school. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.”

According to the Times, other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee were briefed on the letter Wednesday evening, with some urging Feinstein to make it public. Feinstein released a short statement Thursday announcing that, requesting the woman’s request for confidentiality, she decided to “[refer] the matter to federal investigative authorities.”

Senator Dick Durbin confirmed to BuzzFeed News that it has been sent to the FBI for further investigation.

The Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Kavanaugh is scheduled to take place next Thursday.