President Trump says he feels 'terribly' for Brett Kavanaugh
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President Donald Trump says Democrats are using allegations of sexual assault to delay the confirmation of his Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh.
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Tuesday he feels “terribly” for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and blamed “obstructionist” Democrats for using allegations of sexual assault to delay his confirmation. Â
“This is not a man who deserves this,” Trump said of his nominee during a press conference.Â
Trump said he has not spoken with Kavanaugh about Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation that he sexually assaulted her at a high school party in 1982.Trump had said he thought it was a “good idea not to” talk to the judge about the matter.
“Hopefully the woman will come forward, state her case. He will state his case, before representatives of the United States Senate, and then they will vote.”
Trump, who made the remarks during a joint press conference with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, reaffirmed his confidence in Kavanaugh and said he does not think an FBI investigation of allegations against him is necessary.
Kavanaugh and Ford had been expected to testify before a high-stakes Senate hearing scheduled for Monday, but Ford’s attorney sent a letter on Tuesday night addressed to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa asking first for an FBI investigation.
“We are looking to get this done as quickly as possible,” Trump told reporters earlier in the day. “It’s a process. We all feel, speaking for all of the Republicans, we want to give everybody a chance to say what they have to say.”
He added: “Judge Kavanaugh is anxious” to tell his side of the story.
As for a pre-hearing investigation, Trump said: “I don’t think the FBI should be involved because they don’t want to be involved.”
All 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee urged FBI Director Chris Wray and White House Counsel Don McGahn on Tuesday to reopen Kavanaugh’s background investigation and provide a complete report before the hearing.
More: ‘Uncontrollable male passion’: Writings of Brett Kavanaugh’s classmate under scrutiny
More: Kavanaugh: To be confirmed, nominee has to get support of these Republicans – or possibly some key Democrats
But the Department of Justice, referring back to a statement released Monday, says the FBI fulfilled its role by forwarding a letter to the White House Counsel’s Office.
“The allegation does not involve any potential federal crime,†a Justice Department spokesman said in a statement. “The FBI’s role in such matters is to provide information for the use of the decision makers.â€
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From left, minority members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wait through procedural delays as Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh appears for the third day of his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 6, 2018.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, center, accompanied by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, left, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, right, speaks toward the committee Democrats.
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Democratic committee members say their request to the FBI is not for a criminal investigation, but “appropriate follow-up†to the FBI’s background investigation. In their letter to Wray and McGahn, they ask the FBI to interview Kavanaugh, Ford and other relevant witnesses. They say the White House counsel directed the FBI to investigate when Anita Hill accused nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.
“This nomination should not be treated differently simply because of an artificial deadline to rush the confirmation process,†the letter states.
Trump said he wishes the allegations against Kavanaugh had surfaced sooner, and he held off suggesting politics was involved.
“I don’t want to say that,” Trump said. “Maybe I’ll say that in a couple of days, but not now.”
Contributing: Nicole Gaudiano
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