So the FBI's seventh investigation into Brett Kavanaugh was a waste of time.

Well surprise surprise, the FBI carried out the barest of inquiries into Christine Blasey Ford's accusation against Judge Brett Kavanaugh and it's all over. The judge will no doubt now be confirmed as the ninth member of the US Supreme Court in the next few days. I really don't know why the FBI bothered, except of course they were told to do so by the White House. They went through the motions. They didn't even interview either of the two main protagonists, presumably on the reasoning that they had said all they were going to say to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The FBI managed to fill up 46 pages of interviews they carried out with nine people, one of whom presumably was Mark Judge, Kavanaugh's schoolfriend and alleged witness of the alleged sexual assault. What I found somewhat quixotic was the FBI's insistence on having only one copy presented to the Senate which meant all 100 senators had to queue to have a look at the document. The FBI also said none of the contents of the document was to be revealed to the media or public. But of course as soon as it was available to the Senate they all call came out to say what was in it or not in it. The Republicans said it contained nothing that wasn't already known and the Democrats effectively wondered why there was nothing it it which wasn't already known. Previously wavering Republicans made up their minds that as the FBI said there was nothing new, or at least nothing to corroborate Christine Ford's allegation, that was enough for them and they would vote to confirm Kavanaugh's nomination. Even Jeff Flake, the Republican who insisted on the extra FBI investigation after he had been berated by two women as he tried to walk out of a lift in Congress, agreed that he would vote for Kavanaugh after all. It has been a very unpleasant episode. Mrs Ford must regret ever coming forward. But hopefully, Kavanaugh will also regret the way he behaved before the Judiciary Committee. Somehow I doubt he will.