President Trump indicated Wednesday that he is not inclined to believe that Brett Kavanaugh, his nominee to the Supreme Court, is guilty of the sexual misconduct allegations that have been lodged against him. He also suggested, though, that he could have his mind changed by the accuser’s testimony.
“He is such an outstanding man,” Trump told reporters of Kavanaugh before departing for North Carolina on Wednesday. “Very hard for me to imagine that anything happened.”
[Trump: Kavanaugh ‘is not a man that deserves this’]
Kavanaugh has been accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, at a party in Maryland 36 years ago.
After she spoke publicly about the alleged incident, the Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled a public hearing, set for Monday, and invited both Ford and Kavanaugh to testify.
Kavanaugh accepted the invitation, but Ford’s lawyer told the committee she wants the FBI to conduct an investigation into the allegation first.
Ford’s reluctance to testify Monday has raised questions as to whether the hearing will occur, as some Republicans are now urging the Senate to move forward with a vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination if Ford ultimately declines to attend.
But Trump said it would be “unfortunate” if Ford does not testify before the committee. If she does, however, appear at the hearing and “makes a credible showing,” the White House may re-evaluate how to move forward, Trump said.
“That will be very interesting,” he said. “We’ll have to make a decision.”
The president said the FBI has already conducted background investigations into Kavanaugh six times, given his various positions in the federal government, but he deferred to the Senate with handling the allegation.
“I would let the senators take their course, let the senators do it,” the president said. “They’re doing a very good job. They’ve given tremendous amounts of time. They’ve already postponed a major hearing. And really, they’re hurting somebody’s life very badly.”
The president praised Kavanaugh, calling him an “extraordinary man” with an “unblemished record.”
Ford’s allegation has roiled Kavanaugh’s confirmation battle, which was already contentious given the high stakes of his nomination.
Kavanaugh has categorically denied the allegation. Two former classmates who Ford said were in attendance at the party where the alleged assault took place have also denied the allegation.
Patrick J. Smyth told the Senate Judiciary Committee in a letter obtained by CNN that he has “no knowledge of the party in question” and does not have any knowledge of the allegations against Kavanaugh.
Mark Judge, who Ford said witnessed the alleged assault, also told the Senate Judiciary Committee in a letter he had no memory of the encounter and never saw Kavanaugh act as Ford described.
