Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
FBI Investigation Into Kavanaugh May End Soon or Already Be Over
On Tuesday, the lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford — the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault who testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee last week — wrote a letter to the FBI saying they still haven’t been contacted about investigators’ probe into Kavanaugh. “It is inconceivable that the FBI could conduct a thorough investigation of Dr. Ford’s allegations without interviewing her, Judge Kavanaugh, or the witnesses we have identified in our letters to you,” attorneys Debra Katz and Michael Bromwich wrote.Â
As of Tuesday, agents had interviewed “at least four key people,” The Wall Street Journal reported. Though the FBI has until Friday to wrap up the investigation, according to POLITICO, the FBI could wrap up its investigation into Kavanaugh as soon as Wednesday. This could then lead to a final Senate vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court later this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that the bureau’s final report will not be made available to the public; however, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is pressing for a public release — albeit a redacted one — of the report. If the latter doesn’t work out, all 100 senators will only have access to the report in a secure setting.Â
An attorney for another Kavanaugh accuser, Deborah Ramirez — who claims the Supreme Court nominee exposed himself to her a party in the 1980s — said he’s concerned that the FBI “is not conducting — or not being permitted to conduct — a serious investigation,” the Associated Press reported. The lawyer, John Clune, said he provided the FBI with the information of 20 witnesses who might be able to corroborate her account, though he’s not sure if any of them have been contacted.Â
Authorities Investigation Suspicious Packages
After two packages were delivered to the Pentagon that eventually tested positive for ricin on Monday, an envelope addressed to President Trump was sent to the White House that appeared to be connected. CNN reported that the envelope meant for Trump “contained a substance suspected to be ricin,” though a Secret Service spokesman confirmed that it was “not received at the White House, nor did it ever enter the White House.”
Ricin is highly toxic and often used in terror attacks. The two envelopes sent to the Pentagon were addressed to Secretary of Defense James Mattis and to chief of naval operations, Adm. John Richardson. The FBI and Secret Services are currently investigating both situations.Â
NY State Launching Probe Into Trump
The state of New York is launching an investigation into Trump following a bombshell report from The New York Times which accused the president of participating in “dubious tax schemes” during the 1990s, “including instances of outright fraud, that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents.” The financial schemes reportedly allowed Trump to pocket at least $413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate business. “The Tax Department is reviewing the allegations in the NYT article and is vigorously pursuing all appropriate avenues of investigation,” the department said in a statement on Tuesday.Â
According to the Times‘ report, a large portion of the $413 million came to Trump because he helped his parents dodge taxes, going as far as setting up a fake corporation to disguise millions of dollars in gifts from their parents. Trump also allegedly helped his father take “improper tax deductions” worth millions more and “formulated a strategy” which allowed his parents to undervalue their real estate holdings on their tax returns, thus reducing their tax bill — and Trump and his siblings’ tax bills, too, when the properties were transferred to them.Â
The report was the result of the Times reviewing more than 100,000 pages of financial documents, such as bank statements, financial audits, and canceled checks, among others. Trump’s lawyer, however, denied the accusations. “The New York Times’ allegations of fraud and tax evasion are 100 percent false, and highly defamatory,” attorney Charles Harder said in a statement to the paper. “There was no fraud or tax evasion by anyone. The facts upon which the Times bases its false allegations are extremely inaccurate.”Â
What to look for…
Lots of Mean Girls references. It’s October third!