Former President George W. Bush is continuing to back Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, amid an allegation of sexual misconduct.
“Laura and I have known and respected Brett Kavanaugh for decades, and we stand by our comments the night Judge Kavanaugh was nominated,” Bush said in a statement, per Politico.
Christine Blasey Ford, a 51-year-old professor at Palo Alto University, accused Kavanaugh of forcing himself upon her in the 1980s while they were both in high school. The Washington Post reported Sunday that Ford took a polygraph test, which indicated she was being honest detailing the alleged incident.
Bush had originally lauded Kavanaugh, who served in the White House as staff secretary and an associate counsel for Bush.
“He is a fine husband, father, and friend — and a man of the highest integrity,” Bush previously said. “He will make a superb justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Monday where Kavanaugh is slated to testify, although Ford has not replied to a series of requests from the committee to appear, committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said.
[New: In fast-moving events, Kavanaugh accuser refuses Monday hearing; nominee appears confident]
Kavanaugh has rejected Ford’s claims and characterized them as a “completely false allegation.” The hearing will postpone a Thursday vote to move Kavanaugh’s nomination forward.
Trump has defended Kavanaugh and criticized Democrats for not addressing the accusation sooner. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., knew about the allegations for weeks but only referred a letter from Ford to the FBI last week as details of her allegation became public.
“I feel so badly for him that he is going through this, to be honest with you,” Trump said during a joint press conference with Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland, on Tuesday. “This is not a man that deserves this. This should have been brought to the fore, it should have been brought up long ago.”
