A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, while necessary for senators to make credibility assessments, is no substitute for an FBI investigation. Why? Because the FBI is nonpartisan and will go where the evidence takes it. We already know that this will not be the case with the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that Chairman Chuck Grassley has scheduled for September 27. He has declared that he will allow only two witnesses for this hearing: Kavanaugh and Blasey Ford. No other witnesses will be allowed to testify. This is no way to figure out what really happened. Even Anita Hill, who was subjected to highly inappropriate mistreatment from senators, was backed up by additional witnesses giving sworn testimony to the committee. The partisan nature of the Kavanaugh process was reinforced by comments last Friday from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who spoke to a group of conservative activists about the Kavanaugh nomination and promised them that “we’re going to plow right through it.”…

Without an FBI investigation into the sexual assault allegations that have been made against him, Kavanaugh risks serving as an illegitimate justice. He might be asked to recuse himself in cases involving, among other issues, violence against women, and his decisions in such areas would be fraught with controversy. His presence could undermine the faith people have in the highest court in the land, which has the final say over disputes involving the meaning of our laws and Constitution.