White House says it's not 'micromanaging' FBI probe of Kavanaugh
Lawyer for 3rd woman making sexual harassment allegations says probe is flawed as client wasn't contacted
The FBI is free to investigate any sexual misconduct allegations against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that it deems credible, two White House spokeswomen said on Sunday, rebuffing reports that the administration has tried to limit the probe.
"The White House is not micromanaging this process," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an interview with Fox News Sunday.
"The Senate is dictating the terms," she said. "The FBI, this is what they do. And we're out of the way and letting them do exactly that."
However, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway added, "It's not meant to be a fishing expedition."
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!
—@realDonaldTrumpNBC 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!
—@realDonaldTrumpTrump bowed to pressure from moderate Senate Republicans and ordered an FBI investigation after Christine Blasey Ford, a California university professor, detailed her claims at a Senate hearing on Thursday that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 when the two were high school teenagers.
Kavanaugh has denied Ford's accusation, as well as those of two other women who emerged afterward.
In a stunning reversal on Friday, the Senate judiciary committee asked the Trump administration to order the FBI to investigate the misconduct allegations — but only after the panel sent Kavanaugh's nomination to the full Senate for a final vote.
How do you conduct a legitimate, fair & thorough investigation into allegations unless you interview the person actually making the allegations about her experiences, what she witnessed, and what facts and other witnesses she is aware of? Answer - YOU CAN’T. And that’s by design.
—@MichaelAvenattiThe move followed emotional testimony from Ford and Kavanaugh at a committee hearing on Thursday that further roiled emotions and outrage surrounding the nomination for a lifetime appointment to the high court.
Senate Republicans, who hold a narrow 51-49 majority, were forced by dissent within their ranks to slow down the confirmation process.
As a result, the Supreme Court will begin a new term on Monday with the court ideologically deadlocked with four conservatives and four liberals.
Battling over #MeToo
Republicans, who are trying to retain control of the U.S. Congress in November elections, seek to balance their desire to have a conservative judge on the Supreme Court with sensitivity in how they handle the sexual misconduct allegations amid the reverberations of the #MeToo movement.
Trump adviser Conway said on Sunday that she was the victim of sexual assault and that women who survive such experiences should be heard.
"I'm a victim of sexual assault," Conway told CNN while defending Kavanaugh's nomination. "I feel very empathetic, frankly, for victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment and rape."
Conway suggested on Sunday that the ire of many victims was improperly pointed at Republican supporters of Kavanaugh, as opposed to the perpetrators of the assaults.
"It's not a meeting of the #MeToo movement," she told CNN. "It's raw partisan politics."
Witness interviews
Media outlets including NBC News, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the White House was controlling the FBI investigation, giving the FBI a list of witnesses and limiting its parameters.
Trump said the NBC report was incorrect. "Actually, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Please correct your reporting!" he wrote on Twitter.
The FBI and a spokesman for the Senate judiciary committee did not immediately return requests for comment about the Times report.
Watch the key moments from Thursday's testimony:
The New York Times said the FBI planned to question four witnesses about three sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh.
The FBI will question Deborah Ramirez, who said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party when both were students at Yale University.
The others include Mark Judge, a friend of Kavanaugh who Ford said witnessed the assault and Leland Keyser and P.J. Smyth, who she said were at the gathering.
Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for a third Kavanaugh accuser, Julie Swetnick, said Sunday his client has not been contacted by the FBI. The Times and the Journal reported that investigators did not intend to question Swetnick.
'Limited scope'
The White House asked the FBI to share its findings after the four initial interviews. Then Trump and his advisers will decide whether the accusations should be investigated further, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
A senior administration official told the Times that Don McGahn was leading the White House effort to help direct the scope of the background check.
Senate Democrats expressed concern about the reports of White House control of the FBI probe, including Judiciary Committee member Amy Klobuchar, who said she believed the FBI should interview Swetnick.
"The White House should not be allowed to micromanage a FBI investigation," Klobuchar said on CNN. "I just want this conducted in a fair way.
Sanders said she was "not aware" whether McGahn had given the FBI directions on who to interview or what to investigate. White House adviser Conway also said she had not discussed the matter with McGahn.
Conway told CNN that she was only aware of the parameters the Senate set on the probe. The Senate judiciary committee on Friday said the FBI's supplemental background investigation "would be limited to current credible allegations" and must be completed in a week.
"The White House is not getting involved in the FBI investigation in that way," she added. "They should be looking at anything they think is credible within this limited scope."