Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse 'satisfied' with FBI investigation of Kavanaugh allegation originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

A top Democratic senator signaled Tuesday his satisfaction with the White House's latest approach to the FBI background investigation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that President Donald Trump approved last week.

"I think I'm satisfied," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island told "Good Morning America" chief anchor George Stephanopoulos Tuesday. "We don't know all the details yet but, clearly, if they have been given free rein to interview whomever they want, that's a very good sign."

"The last thing we want is a sham investigation," Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, adding that the FBI "probably should be able to get this done by Friday."

PHOTO: Sen. Whitehouse appears on 'Good Morning America,' Oct. 2, 2018. (ABC News) More

In the past 24 hours, in response to pressure from Democratic and moderate Republican senators, the White House has eased limitations on the FBI background investigation into Kavanaugh that Trump set into motion Friday.

(MORE: Flake says FBI believed Kavanaugh investigation would be done in a week)

After Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a marathon, emotionally charged hearing last Thursday to weigh testimony from Ford and Kavanaugh on her accusation that he attacked her when they were in high school.

Kavanaugh fiercely denied the allegation but with the fate of his nomination on the line, Whitehouse told "GMA" Tuesday he has "grave doubts" about whether the judge told the truth during his testimony.

"I have very grave doubts at this point but that's one of the reasons we so badly wanted an investigation, so we could get to the truth of that rather than have to deal with surmise or suspicion," Whitehouse said.

"Ultimately, I do think when somebody is coming before the United States Senate and wants to be a United States Supreme Court judge, they ought to tell the truth. If they're lying, that's something that is disqualifying."

(MORE: White House eases limits on FBI's investigation of Brett Kavanaugh)

When pressed on whether he thought Kavanaugh lied to the committee, Whitehouse hedged on the answer, responding, "I'm waiting to see what the FBI report comes back with. I certainly would not rule it out. There's plenty to disbelieve in what he said but, again, it's very hard to sort through this until you have the investigation, which is why we pushed so hard to make sure that took place."

The White House, at the urging of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., directed the FBI to look into what the committee deemed as "credible" allegations of sexual misconduct.

PHOTO: Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 27, 2018. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) More

But Trump continued the staunch defense of his Supreme Court pick Monday, calling for a "comprehensive" but "quick" FBI investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct as the agency works to meet a looming deadline.

After Ford came forward, another allegation emerged from Deborah Ramirez, who knew Kavanaugh in college at Yale University, and who accused him of sexual misconduct in a separate incident during their freshman year. He has denied it.

The White House specifically requested FBI interviews with Ramirez, among three others. The FBI has been authorized to interview anyone it wants, with a focus on two allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh raised separately by Ford and Ramirez, sources close to the process say.

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