Where unleashed FBI will go snooping in final days of Brett Kavanaugh investigation

It could prove to be a risky change of course for U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Monday, three days into a special week-long FBI background check of embattled Supreme Court nominee BrettKavanaugh, the White House gave investigatorsfree rein to interview anyone they deem relevant as opposed to just the four names Trump's staff had reportedlysigned off on originally.

The new orders mean agents can explore potentially critical aspects of the allegations against Kavanaugh that were previously deemed off-limits and Trump will have to sit back and hope they don't turn up new information that could torpedo the judge's confirmation.

• White House tells FBI to interview anyone it wants in Kavanaugh probe

The background check was ordered last Friday, a day after dramatic testimony before the Senate judiciary committee from Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the California research psychologist who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 when they were teenagers in Maryland.

An angry and combative Kavanaughdenied herallegations, as well as those of two other women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.

Republican membersagreed to delay advancingKavanaugh'snomination by a week, pending an FBI investigation that Trump initially insisted would be "narrow" in scope before caving to Democratic demands that it not be restricted by anything other than time.

"This is an excellent move. It's how it should be,"said former FBI executive Lauren C. Anderson."The FBI needs to effectively be able to do its job and provide the information that the White House needs."

Here's what investigators are expected to explore with their newfound freedom.

Question 3rd accuser

The White House counsel's office originally authorized the FBI to speak with four witnesses:Kavanaugh'shigh school friends Mark Judge and PJSmyth, Ford's high school friend LelandKeyser, andKavanaugh'sYale classmateDeborah Ramirez, who allegesKavanaughwaved his penis in her face without her consent at a college party.

That original list didn't includeJulieSwetnick, a third accuser who signed a sworn affidavit alleging that as a teenagerKavanaughattended parties wheregirls were gang raped.SwetnicksaidKavanaughalso plied girls with alcohol to try to take advantage of them sexually.

Under the new White House guidance, her account could be part of the FBI's probe.

"In my opinion, any woman who has an allegation and speaks specifically about an alleged assault should be heard," said Anderson, who worked at the bureau for nearly 30 years.

She saidthe original parameters "tied the FBI's hands" from effectively investigating, but that no longer appears to be the case.

Trump told reporters on Monday he was fine with FBI agents also speaking withSwetnick.

"It wouldn't bother me at all," he said, though he strongly questioned her credibility.

NBC News aired an excerpt of an interview withSwetnickon Mondayand notedsomeinconsistencieswith her written statement, including about her allegation thatKavanaughspiked girls' drinks.

Explore new leads

Agents will now also be able to follow relevant leadswherean interviewee points to a more informed witness, said Mary EllenO'Toole, a former FBI criminal profiler who has worked on many sex-crimes cases.

"You talk to a particular individual and they say, 'You need to talk to Mr. or Mrs. Smith. They have a lot more information than I do.' Then it's logical the agent will have to go and talk to that person."

Democrats on the judiciary committee have suggested 24 people and entities they believe the FBI should interview "at a minimum."

Anderson said agents may seek out Yale classmates of Ramirez's if they might substantiate allegations aboutKavanaugh'sbelligerent and abusive drinking in college.

"Logic would say you interview all the women who have made allegations. That opens up the possibility, in the case of Ms. Ramirez, to identify the names of other Yale classmates that may speak to [Kavanaugh'sdrinking]."

Kavanaugh'sdrinking

Investigating the 53-year-old judge's drinking history was reportedly outside the original bounds setby the White House.

Former assistant FBI director ChrisSweckersaid he doubts agents will "waste their time" on any line of questioning concerning boozy parties, as the core issue remains sexual assault.

"The press is making an issue about whether he blacked out or how much he drank," saidSwecker, who frequently appears as a Fox News commentator. "That he drank beer and was underage that's not the real issue."

While Anderson doesn't expect agents will seek out witnesses or former classmates to expresslyask aboutKavanaugh'sdrinking, the relaxed FBI restrictions allowthem to bring up the subject of alcohol with witnesses they do decide tospeak with.

Watch: Kavanaughgets combative with senator when asked about excessive drinking

Kavanaugh gets combative with senator when asked about excessive drinking

6 years ago

Duration 0:50

U.S. Supreme Court nominee testifies that he does not have a drinking problem.

The fact is, she said,Kavanaugh'salleged excessive drinking has been a component in all three claims by Ford, Ramirez andSwetnick.

"From a purely investigative standpoint in a background investigation, that is a very reasonable and logical thing to be asking about," shesaid. "It reflects on his credibility and his candour and his trustworthiness."

Kavanaughrepeatedlydodgedquestions about his drinking from Democrats on the judiciary committee. Butformer college friends have told reportershewas a "sloppy drunk" who could be aggressive, and a recent report from a Yale classmate allegedKavanaughonce threw a beer at a bar patron's face and started a fight over a "semi-hostile remark."

The Safeway encounter

Former FBI officials believe another reasonable avenue to follow up on is Ford's testimony thatKavanaugh'shigh school friend, Mark Judge, was "nervous" and not willing to speak with Ford when she ran into him at a Safeway grocery store in 1982. The encounter was about six to eight weeks after Ford says Judge witnessedKavanaughsexually assault her at a house party.

Ford said Judge worked at the supermarket at the time. NBC News reported that under the original White House instructions, the FBI wasn't to ask Safeway to verify whether Judge was employed there.

"If they have specified they don't want you going to Safeway, they cannot go to Safeway," Anderson said. Now that the White House has revised its guidance, she expects investigators to run checks on employment records.

Confirming the time period Judge may have worked at the supermarket could help resolve when in the summer of 1982 the party happened.

It's also possibleJudge will confirm that information for investigators, Andersonsaid.

Interview Ford

Ford was not on the list of four witnesses named by the White House, though she has been vocal about wanting an FBI investigation into her allegations.

Ford had not, as of Monday night, revealed whether she had been interviewed. But former FBI assistant director RonHoskosaid he wouldn't consider the investigation complete until she has also been questioned.

"I think they would go to Ms. Ford to do adetailed interview of her to see if there's any other information that gives them leads about anyone else who might have been at that place."

The FBI can also attempt to locate the house where the alleged assault occurred, using Ford's description and real estate records.

Unlike members of theSenate judiciary committee, FBI officials said, agents don't approach their interviews with partisan interests in mind. They're trained to extract the most information possible.

FBI backgroundreportsmerely gatherfacts and narrativeswithout judging witnesses' credibility, Hosko said. That will ultimately be left to the White House's discretion next week.