Kavanaugh says his testimony could have been "too emotional" and "keen"

Kavanaugh Confirmation

While the Supreme Court candidate was appealing his confirmation directly, Trump urged him to attend a rally in Minnesota.

President Donald Trump continued to demand Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation on Thursday night and criticized the Democrats for treating their candidate for the Supreme Court, while Kavanaugh himself expressed regret for his tone and emotion in his testimony. last week.

"I was very moved last Thursday, more than I've ever been," Kavanaugh wrote in a statement. Wall Street Journal posted. "I might have been too emotional sometimes. I know my tone was sharp and I said a few things that I should not have said. "

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He continued, "I hope everyone will understand that I was there as a son, husband and father. I first witnessed with five people: my mother, my father, my wife and especially my daughters. "

Kavanaugh appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27 for a hearing on allegations of sexual assault made by Professor Christine Blasey Ford, who testified earlier in the day. During a 45-minute opening statement, Mr. Kavanaugh criticized Senate Democratic Senators, the media and even Bill and Hillary Clinton for the way he was treated.

"This two-week effort was a calculated and orchestrated political coup, fueled by an apparently hidden anger about President Trump and the 2016 election, a fear unfairly fueled by my criminal record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons and millions of people. money dollars from leftist opposition groups, "Kavanaugh said during his testimony. "It's a circus."

Stopping several times to pull himself together, Kavanaugh shouted almost several times during his statement. Later during the hearing, his tone was accentuated by the fact that Democratic lawmakers questioned him about his drinking habits and about the meaning of certain phrases in his speech. high school yearbook.

"Do you like beer, senator, or not?" Leaned Kavanaugh to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) At one point.

Democratic lawmakers and others criticized him for what they said was a lack of judicial temperament. On Thursday, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a long-time Republican, said Kavanaugh's performance had "changed", and more than 2,400 law professors from all over the world. countries have signed an open letter, stating that the tone of Kavanaugh's testimony should be disqualifying.

Thursday night, however, Trump backed his candidate and continued to attack the Democrats for their actions during the process, while avoiding mentioning Kavanaugh's accusers, including Ford, whom he made fun of earlier in the week.

"Democrats are trying to destroy Judge Brett Kavanaugh since the announcement of his first second," Trump told attendees at a rally in Rochester, Minnesota on Thursday night.

That was a very different approach than Mississippi's Tuesday, when he made fun of Ford for not being able to remember some details about an alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh at the time. A party in the early 1980s.

Trump was in Minnesota to brag about a number of Republican candidates running in the traditionally blue state, which has come closer to Republicans in recent years. The president lost the state in 2016 by only 1.5%. Trump's rally in Rochester comes as the 1st Congressional District, with open seats, is seen by many as a potential and rare opportunity to take over the GOP at mid-term next month. Democratic representative Tim Walz, who is currently in office, is a candidate for governor and Trump increased the district by 15 points in 2016.

The White House defended the president, saying that he had just recalled the facts, but a number of Republican lawmakers have expressed dismay, including Sense Collins' Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Jeff Flake of Arizona, the last three Republicans to declare their positions on the Kavanaugh confirmation vote.

The three undecided Republicans discussed Thursday the FBI's additional investigation into some of the complaints against Kavanaugh. Democratic senators said the White House had limited the investigation and questions remained unanswered about the allegations.

Kavanaugh's decision to write an editorial in the Wall Street Journal marks the second time that he publicly comments on his appointment outside of a public testimony, which is a rare step for a candidate for the Supreme Court. He had previously joined his wife, Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, for an exclusive interview with Fox News that Trump would have found drab and woody compared to his passionate testimony.

POLITICO had previously reported that Trump was pleased with the strength of Kavanaugh's testimony and the emotion he expressed.