Earlier today, it was reported to wide dismay that Pr*sident Trump had sharply limited the scope of the FBI investigation into allegations made about sexual misconduct by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. This news carried by many media, including posts at Daily Kos such as this one by my colleague Mark Sumner based on an NBC News report that appeared on our Front Page and was widely shared on social media.
As he noted in that piece, the parameters for the investigation that Trump was reported to have set would cripple the investigation. These limits were said to include not looking into abusive drinking, the sworn allegations of Julie Swetnick regarding sexual behavior at parties she said Kavanaugh attended. There was said to be a list of names of witnesses the FBI is allowed to interview. As Sumner wrote, this would move the investigation from merely cursory to a complete sham.
A number of elected Democrats, including Rep. Adam Schiff of California, expressed objections to this, in his case saying that setting such limits isn’t how to conduct an investigation but rather a whitewash.
Three hours ago, however, Trump tweeted a denial.
xNBC News incorrectly reported (as usual) that I was limiting the FBI investigation of Judge Kavanaugh, and witnesses, only to certain people. Actually, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Please correct your reporting!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2018NBC reported this turn of events:
While the FBI will examine the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, the bureau had not been permitted to investigate the claims of Julie Swetnick, who has accused Kavanaugh of engaging in sexual misconduct at parties while he was a student at Georgetown Preparatory School in the 1980s, those people familiar with the investigation told NBC News.
A White House official had confirmed earlier Saturday that Swetnick's claims would not be pursued as part of the reopened background investigation into Kavanaugh. Trump described that as incorrect in a tweet late Saturday. The Wall Street Journal had also reported that Swetnick's allegations would not be investigated.
Trump said the FBI had "free rein" in the investigation.
He also said: "They’re going to do whatever they have to do. Whatever it is they do, they’ll be doing—things that we never even thought of. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine."
Who knows what this means or whether Trump will stick to it. Who knows what went on behind the scenes to bring about this change. Of one thing you can be certain, Trump did originally order limits. If the FBI does have “free rein” now, let’s hope they go wide instead of narrow.
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jamess has written a post about this here.
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