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WASHINGTON, U.S. – Following Thursday’s Senate hearing, in which U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh tried to defend himself after his first accuser narrated her story, the U.S. President Donald Trump was forced to order an FBI investigation into the accusations against his nominee. 

On Thursday, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a California university professor, detailed her claims that Kavanaugh tried to rape her at a party in 1982 when the two were still high school teenagers.

Subsequently, Trump was forced to order the probe under pressure by moderate Senate Republicans.

Yet, on Saturday, a report by NBC News claimed that the White House had constrained the FBI investigation by limiting its parameters.

Quoting multiple people briefed on the matter, the NBC report stated that the White House is limiting the scope of the FBI investigation.

It explained that investigators are allowed to speak with only Ramirez and Ford and revealed that the White House counsel’s office has given the FBI a list of witnesses they are permitted to interview.

The report further revealed that the bureau will not be allowed to look into allegations by Julie Swetnick. 

Swetnick has accused Kavanaugh of being part of a group of boys who targeted girls at parties while he was a high school student at Georgetown Preparatory School in the 1980s.

In a statement following the NBC story, Swetnick’s attorney, Michael Avenatti, confirmed that he had not yet heard from the FBI about an interview.

Meanwhile, responding to the NBC report, Trump denied the claims and tweeted, “Actually, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion.”

Further, White House spokesman Raj Shah said the Senate had set the “scope and duration” of the FBI probe.

Despite the report claiming that the White House is micromanaging the parameters of the bureau’s inquiry, Shah insisted, “The White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do.”

FBI contacts Ramirez

Meanwhile, on Saturday, FBI was confirmed to have reached out to the second Kavanaugh accuser, Deborah Ramirez for an interview about her allegation.

Ramirez, the second woman who alleged Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct had claimed that Kavanaugh exposed his penis to her when they were undergraduates.

She has claimed that the incident took place during a drunken party at a Yale University dormitory during the 1983-1984 school year.

Her claims were published in a New Yorker report published on September 23. 

Responding to the allegations at the time, the White House had stated that the “uncorroborated claim is the latest in a coordinated smear campaign by the Democrats designed to tear down a good man.”

Meanwhile, Kavanaugh continued to deny both Ford’s and Ramirez’s allegations.

He has claimed that Ramirez’s accusations are “a smear, plain and simple.” 

On Saturday, Ramirez’s lawyer, John Clune, said in a statement, “We can confirm the FBI has reached out to interview Ms. Ramirez and she has agreed to cooperate with their investigation. Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time.”