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John Wagner
National Journalist Leading the Post's New Politics Team
Two senators deemed crucial for the confirmation of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh Wednesday criticized President Trump for being ridiculed for the story of a woman who had accused her Supreme Court candidate of being assaulted sexually several decades ago.
"We have neither the time nor the place to make such remarks," said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) On NBC's "Today" show. "Discussing something so sensitive at a political rally is just not good. It is not fair. I would have liked that he did not do it. It's terrible.
About two hours later, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) also protested Trump's remarks, telling reporters, "The president's comments were just wrong."
The assessments of Collins and Flake, the member of the Judiciary Committee who had insisted on delaying the vote on Kavanaugh so that the FBI could investigate, occurred the next morning when Trump had his laugh during his speech at a rally. policy in Mississippi.
[Trump mocks Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford]
In her most direct attack on Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault while they were teenagers in Maryland, Trump sought to highlight flaws in Ford's testimony before the Judiciary Committee. during an affidavit.
Supreme Court candidate Brett M. Kavanaugh testifies before the Judiciary Committee of the Senate last month. (Tom Williams / AP)
"I do not know, I do not know." "Upstairs? Down? Where was it?" "I do not know, but I had a beer. something that I remember, "said Trump about Ford, personifying it on stage.
"I do not remember," he repeated several times, apparently mocking his testimony.
Ford stated that the incident occurred in a room on the floor of a teenage gathering and that she was "100%" certain that it was Was Kavanaugh who had assaulted her, although she acknowledged that her memories of other details of the evening remained unknown.
Trump put forward another round of the rally on Wednesday morning, distributing a clip on Twitter in which he attacks the Democrats for opposing his candidate.
"All they really know how to do, is to obstruct, resist, demolish, destroy and delay," Trump explains in the clip, excerpted from the Fox News show from his rally. "They have been trying to destroy Judge Kavanaugh since his very first second because they know that Judge Kavanaugh will respect the Constitution as it is written."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Promised to hold a full Senate vote on the nomination by the end of the week, as senators waited for the results of the vote. FBI investigation into allegations of misconduct by Kavanaugh.
In addition to Ford, two other women have publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct while he was in high school or at the university.
Trump's comments at the Tuesday night rally prompted a debate on cable television over whether he had hurt his candidate's chances.
Flake, Collins and another key Republican – Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) – refuse to say how they will vote until they see the results of the FBI's investigation, which should be completed before the Senate vote.
Democratic Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) have not yet announced their vote.
Some Democrats have expressed concerns about the scope of the FBI's investigation, the extent to which the White House limits it and whether a week is enough to conduct a thorough investigation.
Senator Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), Another member of the Judiciary Committee, said he was concerned about reports that the investigation could be completed as early as Wednesday.
"It would concern me," said Coons, who appeared alongside Flake on NBC. "I hope the FBI was allowed to follow all the reasonable tracks that were presented to the committee last week, and I know it puts a lot of pressure on them, but they have the resources to do it."
As the vote approached, the Democrats also sought to highlight concerns about Kavanaugh's temperament, highlighting moments at last week's hearing in which he was put to the test of Senators and moved at other times.
During his appearance on television, Flake reiterated that he too was concerned that Kavanaugh was sometimes "lively and more partisan than many of us would like to see".
But Flake said that Kavanaugh's tenure as a judge at the Federal Court of Appeal was equally relevant.
"We saw a record that he had on the field of collegiality and working with other members," Flake said.
Among those interviewed by the FBI so far, a second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, claims that Kavanaugh was exposed to her while both were at the university.
According to his lawyer, Michael Avenatti, a third accuser, Julie Swetnick, has not yet been interviewed.
Swetnick said last week in an affidavit that Kavanaugh was present at a party at home in 1982, where she claims to have been a victim of gang rape, claiming that he vehemently denies it.
Avenatti on Tuesday issued a written statement from a second woman whose statements supported Swetnick's claims. The woman, whose name was expurgated in the document published by Avenatti, said "to have witnessed first-hand Brett Kavanaugh, as well as other people," poking "the" punch "at parties at the house I attended with Quaaludes and / or grain alcohol.
Avenatti said in a tweet on Wednesday that the unidentified woman "is ready to meet the FBI today and to reveal multiple facts and witnesses".
Avenatti, who is considering a presidential candidacy for 2020 as a Democrat, also addressed Trump on Wednesday for his comments at the Mississippi rally.
"Regardless of your policy, you should be outraged by the POTUS, standing in front of a crowd and making fun of a woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted," Avenatti said on Twitter. "@RealDonaldTrump has been looking for applause and laughter at his expense. Call him as he is: a misogynistic pig with no respect for women.
Josh Dawsey and Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report.
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