Day 619: Trump lies about Kavanugh FBI probe, determined to keep it a sham

Without the votes to confirm his Supreme Court nominee absent further investigation, Donald Trump was forced to order the FBI to probe the sexual assault allegations made against Brett Kavanaugh.

After NBC News reported that Trump put heavy limitations on the FBI’s investigation, Trump claimed Saturday night that the FBI could “interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion.”

But that’s still not true, according to NBC News:

According to the sources, the president’s Saturday night tweet saying he wants the FBI to interview whoever agents deem appropriate has not changed the limits imposed by the White House counsel’s office on the FBI investigation — including a specific witness list that does not include Julie Swetnick, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in high school.

Also not on the list, the sources say, are former classmates who have contradicted Kavanaugh’s account of his college alcohol consumption, instead describing him as a frequent, heavy drinker. The FBI is also not authorized to interview high school classmates who could shed light on what some people have called untruths in Kavanaugh’s Senate Judiciary Committee testimony about alleged sexual references in his high school yearbook.

Since the investigation is a background check and not one of a criminal nature, the White House is free to set limitations on what the FBI can or cannot probe. The White House is acting as the client and the FBI as a hired agent doing only what is asked of it.

It’s clear that Trump does not want a full investigation, but rather one that is likely to turn over no new information. Jamming the Kavanaugh nomination through the confirmation process without any more obstacles isn’t just a goal, it’s the goal. That’s why one of Kavanaugh’s accusers and certain pertinent witnesses are nowhere to be found on the list of people who have been deemed okay to be interviewed by the White House.

Forced into an investigation, Trump is determined to make it as big a sham as possible.

619 days in, 843 to go

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