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WASHINGTON, U.S. – Amid increasing questions over the scope of the FBI investigation into accusations against his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his support for the judge. 

Kavanaugh, who was nominated by Trump to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, faced public or private confirmation hearings, that were injected with several tense moments.

Strongly opposed by some Democrats, who fear that the conservative appeals court judge would tilt the Supreme Court’s balance to the right, Kavanaugh managed to sail through the hearings.

But just when he thought he would smoothly win a lifetime appointment as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, Kavanaugh came face to face with his alleged past.

With three women accusing the Supreme Court nominee of sexual misconduct, and stories of his alleged tainted past emerging – at a time when the #MeToo movement is receiving heightened attention in the country, Democrats and several protesters were up in arms over the handling of the accusations by the Republicans. 

Blamed for trying to pace ahead with Kavanaugh confirmation vote to claim another victory right before the crucial Congressional elections – Republicans held a public hearing with the nominee’s first accuser.

In the public hearing, Kavanaugh tried to defend himself after his accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a California university professor, revealed how Kavanaugh tried to rape her at a party in 1982 when the two were still high school teenagers.

Despite Kavanaugh’s denials, Ford’s story built pressure on the Republicans to ‘do the right thing’ and allow the FBI to probe the accusations to get to the truth. 

Then, on Friday, facing close public scrutiny right before the midterms, and under pressure by moderate Senate Republicans, Trump was forced to order an FBI investigation into the accusations against his SC nominee.

Our orders, our rules

However, despite the FBI being given just a week to complete the tough task of investigating the accusations against Kavanaugh – which dated back to the 1980s, the White House didn’t get much time to cash in on the strategic move.

A day after the probe was launched, with reports tracking the actions of the investigating team, a bombshell report in NBC alleged that the White House is limiting the scope of the FBI investigation.

The report on Saturday quoted multiple people briefed on the matter as saying that the parameters of the FBI investigation had been decided by the White House, which was micromanaging the probe. 

Sources quoted in the report revealed that the White House counsel’s office had given the FBI a list of witnesses they are permitted to interview.

It said that while investigators had been instructed to speak with Ford and Kavanaugh’s second accuser – Deborah Ramirez, the bureau was reportedly not allowed to look into allegations by the third accuser, Julie Swetnick. 

In a New Yorker report published on September 23, Ramirez alleged that Kavanaugh exposed his penis to her during a drunken party at a Yale University dormitory during the 1983-1984 school year.

Days later, Swetnick went public, claiming that in the 1980s, while he was a high school student at Georgetown Preparatory School, Kavanaugh was part of a group of boys who targeted girls at parties.

The shocking report in NBC was challenged by the White House and Trump, with the U.S. President arguing, “Actually, I want them (FBI) to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion.”

Further, the White House spokesman Raj Shah argued that the Senate had set the “scope and duration” of the FBI probe and said that “the White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do.”

However, claims of the White House micromanaging the parameters of the bureau’s inquiry, led to Democrats calling for more transparency and demanding that the scope of the probe be made public. 

‘Democrats dishonest, Kavanaugh exemplary’ 

In light of reports revealing the intimate involvement of the White House in the FBI probe, Senate Judiciary Committee member, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said, “Based on some of the reports we’ve seen this weekend, I’m very concerned about this because the White House should not be allowed to micromanage an FBI investigation.”

Klobuchar added, “While the White House decides who to nominate, and then that person is submitted to a background check, I have never heard that the White House, either under this president or other presidents, is saying, ‘well, you can’t interview this person, you can’t look at this time period, you can only look at these people from one side of the street from when they were growing up.'”

Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono pointed out that the credibility of the FBI investigation is becoming “the big outstanding question.”

Hirono said, “I would think that Jeff Flake and the other senators who are going for this investigation will call for – there’s time, you know. The thing is that every Senate vote matters and there is … time to get to the bottom of it, even if it’s seven days.”

Adding, “That’s bad enough. But then to limit the FBI as to the scope and who they’re going to question, that, that really — I wanted to use the word farce — but that’s not the kind of investigation that all of us are expecting the FBI to conduct.”

Meanwhile, Trump, who accused Democrats of orchestrating “a con game” against Kavanaugh last week, was quick to slam the opposition over calls for transparency in the probe.

The U.S. President first tweeted, “Wow! Just starting to hear the Democrats, who are only thinking Obstruct and Delay, are starting to put out the word that the ‘time’ and ‘scope’ of FBI looking into Judge Kavanaugh and witnesses is not enough. Hello! For them, it will never be enough – stay tuned and watch!”

On Monday, addressing questions of credibility of the probe further, he failed to offer clarity at a news conference, instead managed to sow further confusion about the scope of the probe. 

Trump told reporters that he is open to a “very comprehensive investigation” and yet, he also suggested that the probe would be guided by the wishes of Republican senators.

In the same breathe, the President also said that the FBI could decide whom to interview so long as it was “within reason.”

He also stressed that he continues to stand by his Supreme Court nominee, praising him for living “an exemplary life.”

Trump also lamented the effect of the national attention on his wife and children and said, “What his wife is going through, what his beautiful children are going through, it’s not describable.”

He also told reporters, “I want them to do a very comprehensive investigation, whatever that means according to the senators and the Republicans and the Republican majority. I’m guided by the Senate. I want to make the Senate happy.”

He returned to the subject after making other comments and said that he didn’t want the probe of Kavanaugh to turn into a “witch hunt.”

Yet, on Monday, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote a letter to the White House and FBI and listed more than two dozen people they would like to see interviewed as part of the investigation.