There’s no firm proof of that in this CNN story but the fact that the FBI interviewed Kavanaugh’s high-school classmate Tim Gaudette is a “tell.” Gaudette hosted the party noted on Kavanaugh’s calendar for July 1, 1982 that Democrats have spent the last week focused on. “Go to Timmy’s for skis with Judge, Tom, P.J., Bernie and Squi,” the nominee wrote at the time. (“Skis” presumably is shorthand for “brewskis.”) “Judge” refers to Mark Judge, of course, and “PJ” to Patrick Smyth, both of whom Ford claims were at the party where she was assaulted. “Timmy” is a reference to Gaudette — whom Ford hasn’t named as attending. Nor did she name “Tom,” i.e. Tom Kane, “Bernie,” i.e. Bernie McCarthy, or “Squi,” i.e. Chris Garrett, the boy she was seeing at the time. Per CNN, the feds have interviewed Garrett too.

You can understand why they’d want to speak to Garrett regardless. Because he and Ford were going out at the time, even if he wasn’t at the party he might remember a change in her demeanor around the time of the attack. The only way to explain their interest in Gaudette, though, one would think, is if they’re interested in July 1.

There may have been other attendees at that party whom they’ve interviewed as well, not just Garrett and Gaudette.

The FBI is expanding its inquiry into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh beyond the initial four interviews that the White House directed to be conducted.

Two sources told CNN on Tuesday that more interviews are happening with a focus on other Kavanaugh high school friends who are listed as attending a July 1, 1982, party on the nominee’s calendar…

Tom Kane, who was another of the attendees of the July 1, 1982, party told CNN, “I’d rather not say,” when asked about talking to the FBI. Another attendee — Bernie McCarthy — did not respond to requests for comment.

So four of the six boys listed on Kavanaugh’s calendar for the July 1 party were interviewed and the other two haven’t denied it. Hmmm.

Read this if you missed it over the weekend for a critique of the theory that the assault might have happened on July 1. A glaring problem: If in fact Garrett attended, as Kavanaugh’s calendar indicated, then it’s bizarre that Ford doesn’t remember him being there. He was her romantic interest at the time; why would she remember randos like Patrick Smyth plus another boy whose name she can’t recall while not remembering “Squi”? It could be that Garrett was supposed to attend but ultimately didn’t. Another possibility suggested to me by Philip Klein of the Examiner over the weekend was that maybe the party with Ford was a “pregame” for the party later. Ford implied as much in her testimony, in fact. A few of the boys got together at a home where Ford and her friend Leland Ingham Keyser happened to be, they got hammered, something happened between Kavanaugh and Ford, then the party broke up and Kavanaugh, Judge, and Smyth went to “Timmy’s” to continue their drinking with Garrett, Kane, and McCarthy.

Although that would deepen the mystery of how 15-year-old Ford got to the earlier party. If she didn’t arrive with Garrett, how’d she get there? He was her connection to Kavanaugh’s social circle.

There are other problems with the July 1 theory. John McCormack:

There is also reason to think the timing of the July 1, 1982 party could be inconsistent with Ford’s description of events. Kavanaugh testified that his calendar indicates that prior to the gathering at Tim Gaudette’s he had been doing a football workout, which was “usually 6:00 to 8:00 or so, kind of—until near dark. And then it looks like we went over to Timmy’s.”

Ford testified that she likely arrived at the party after a day of swimming at the country club, the alleged assault occurred “early in the evening,” and Kavanaugh and Judge had been drinking heavily before she first saw them at the small gathering.

“Mr. Kavanaugh and Mr. Judge were extremely inebriated, they had clearly been drinking prior,” Ford testified. “It was just a gathering that I assumed was going to lead to a party later on that those boys would attend, because they tended to have parties later at night than I was allowed to stay out. So it was kind of a pre-gathering.”

If in fact there was a team-related workout until 8-ish and the party with Ford was held “early in the evening,” when did Kavanaugh have time to get plastered to the degree that Ford claims he was during the attack? Or is the time of day another detail, like the date and place, that we should assume Ford is mistaken about because victims don’t always remember basic details of the crimes committed against them?

Garrett is the key witness here, it should go without saying. He’s the common link between Ford and Kavanaugh; he’d have been well positioned to witness any psychological aftereffects in Ford; he may be able to explain how Ford could have traveled to a party like the one at Gaudette’s house; and he might have the answer to whether he attended the July 1 party or not. If he did, it’s very hard to believe that that’s the date of any incident between Ford and Kavanaugh. She’d have remembered him being there. If he didn’t because he had to cancel for whatever reason, July 1 is still in play. Whatever happens, Garrett may hold Kavanaugh’s fate in his hands. Any answers to the FBI that are unfavorable to the nominee, even as vague as “I do remember a change in Chrissy’s mood around that time,” might be enough for Collins, Flake, and Murkowski.