A woman who acknowledged falsely accusing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of rape is being referred to the FBI and Department of Justice for investigation, according to an official letter.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said in a letter sent Friday to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Jeff Sessions that the woman, Judy Munro-Leighton, admitted Thursday that she falsely claimed in an email to committee staff on Oct. 3 that Kavanaugh and a friend had raped her.
In the email, Munro-Leighton claimed to be the author of an anonymous letter sent to California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris on Sept. 19. In that letter, a person who signed the letter as “Jane Doe” claimed Kavanaugh and a friend raped her in the back of a car.
Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said investigators quickly discovered that Munro-Leighton was a “left-wing activist” who is decades older than Kavanaugh. (RELATED: Grassley Refers Avenatti, Swetnick To FBI For Investigation)
But after reaching Munro-Leighton on Thursday, she admitted “that she had not been sexually assaulted by Judge Kavanaugh and was not the author of the original ‘Jane Doe’ letter.”
Munro-Leighton said that she “just wanted to get attention” for her “ploy.”
“In short, during the Committee’s time-sensitive investigation of allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, Ms. Munro-Leighton submitted a fabricated allegation, which diverted Committee resources,” Grassley said.
Grassley asked Wray and Sessions to investigate Munro-Leighton for making materially false statements and obstruction.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) speaks with reporters about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill September 18, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
The criminal referral is the fourth issued by Grassley during the Kavanaugh confirmation process.
Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Oct. 6. Three women came forward publicly to accuse the conservative judge of sexual misconduct in high school and college. Kavanaugh denied all of the allegations.
Grassley submitted FBI referrals on one of those Kavanaugh accusers, Julie Swetnick, and her attorney, Michael Avenatti. Swetnick claimed in a Sept. 26 declaration that she witnessed Kavanaugh drugging girls’ drinks at parties in the 1980s. She also claimed Kavanaugh was present at parties where girls were gang-raped.
Grassley also referred one man for investigation who claimed in a letter to Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse that he witnessed Kavanaugh raping a woman in the 1980s.
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