FBI must question judge’s accusers, says Trump

President says he wants a ‘very comprehensive’ investigation into claims against Kavanaugh

DONALD TRUMP said he was happy for the FBI to interview all three women who publicly accused Brett Kavanaugh, his Supreme Court nominee, of sexual misconduct.

The US president yesterday denied claims he had limited the investigation’s scope, and said he wanted a “very comprehensive” inquiry.

However, he also admitted that senior Republicans were helping to shape the investigation – potentially explaining multiple reports that investigators had been given a shortlist of witnesses.

During a White House press conference, Mr Trump zigzagged from supportive to contemplative as he discussed his embattled Supreme Court pick. He said Mr Kavanaugh had been treated “really horribly” regarding a flurry of allegations that had emerged late in the confirmation process, insisting it was a “very sad and very bad situation” for the country.

He also dismissed claims that Mr Kavanaugh had lied about the extent of his student drinking, saying he was, in fact, “surprised” by his candour.

He then insisted that the Democrats were no “angels”, claiming to have seen a party figure in a “compromising” situation. He declined to give a name, joking he would save the details for a book.

He insisted that he remained “openminded” about what the FBI may find.

In the days since Thursday’s Senate committee hearing, more claims about Mr Kavanaugh’s student days have surfaced, leading to questions about how honest he had been about his drinking.

Chad Ludington, who was at Yale with Mr Kavanaugh, claimed the judge often became “belligerent and aggressive”, could be seen “staggering” while drinking in college, and once threw a beer in a man’s face for making semihostile remarks, “starting a fight that ended with [a] mutual friend in jail”.

Mr Ludington added: “I can unequivocally say that in denying the possibility that he ever blacked out from drinking, and in downplaying the degree and frequency of his drinking, Brett has not told the truth.”

US media reports have suggested that the White House has played a role in limiting who the FBI is allowed to talk to. The claim has been denied.

Only around half a dozen witnesses reportedly were approved for the first interviews. They included Deborah Ramirez, who claimed Mr Kavanaugh exposed himself at a party, but not Julie Swetnick, who alleged Mr Kavanaugh had been present at house parties where “gang rapes” of girls took place. Asked yesterday if he was happy for all three women to talk to the FBI, Mr Trump said: “It would not bother me at all.” He went on to question whether Ms Swetnick’s claim was credible.

Meanwhile, Jeff Flake, the Republican senator who helped trigger the investigation, said it had to be “real”. “It does no good to have an investigation that just gives us more cover,” he said.

Mr Kavanaugh has categorically denied all the claims against him, saying he never sexually assaulted anyone.