Donald Trump Said Some Contradictory Things About The Brett Kavanaugh Allegations
The Supreme Court vote on Brett Kavanaugh has been a wild ride from the start, and it doesn't look like things will be slowing down any time soon. On Sunday, Sept. 16, Christine Blasey Ford came forward and accused the Supreme Court hopeful of past sexual assault, which he has denied. Representatives of Kavanaugh did not respond to Elite Daily's request for additional comment. But, President Donald Trump's response to the Brett Kavanaugh allegations are wishy-washy at best. Another day, another development.
On Wednesday, Sept. 19, Donald Trump addressed Ford's allegations against Kavanaugh during a press conference, and claimed that he wants to hear her accounts of the alleged incident, while at the same time praising Kavanaugh. "I really want to see her. I really would want to see what she has to say," he said. Trump added,
Look, if she shows up and makes a credible showing, that’ll be very interesting, and we'll have to make a decision. But I can only say this: he is such an outstanding man, very hard for me to imagine anything happened.
Trump may claim that he wants to hear from Ford herself, but the president has been quite contradictory in his statements concerning the alleged incident overall. During the press conference, Trump claimed that he wants this ordeal "over with" for the sake of Kavanaugh and his family, but immediately contradicted himself in the same sentence by claiming he wants to give this investigation a "tremendous amount of time."
"This is a very tough thing for [Kavanaugh] and his family, and we want to get it over with," Trump said during the press conference. "At the same time we want to give tremendous amounts of time."
Trump also appeared to imply that Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings had already taken enough time, adding, "They've already given it time, they've delayed a major hearing." He continued, "If she shows up that would be wonderful. If she doesn’t show up, that would be unfortunate."
On Sunday, Sept. 16, Ford came forward to claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while they were attending a high school party in the 1980s. Kavanaugh has vehemently denied Ford's claims since she came forward, calling them "false allegations." Representatives for Kavanaugh did not respond to Elite Daily's request for additional comment on the allegations. Ford's accusations have led Kavanaugh's Supreme Court vote to be delayed once again, since some senators want to hear Ford's testimony themselves.
Even though Ford came forward publicly with her allegations, she reportedly has no plans to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the allegations scheduled for Monday, Sept. 24. According to The Hill, Ford's lawyers have said that she doesn't intend to testify until an FBI investigation into her claims has been completed. A letter from her lawyers tweeted out by Atlantic reporter Natasha Bertrand read in part,
As the Judiciary Committee has recognized and done before, an FBI investigation of the incident should be the first step in addressing her allegations. A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions.
The letter also said that Ford has been subject to immense harassment and backlash following her accusations, and that she and her family had been driven into hiding.
The combination of the public harassment and chance of coming face-to-face with her alleged attacker may explain Ford's hesitance to testify. However, Trump appeared to hesitate regarding opening an actual FBI investigation into the allegation. "The [FBI] has investigated him I think six times," Trump said in reference to Kavanaugh.
Even though Trump may have trouble committing to a stance, rumor has it that his daughter and senior advisor, Ivanka Trump, has reportedly told her father to "cut bait" and drop Kavanaugh's nomination in light of Ford's allegations, per Vanity Fair. A White House spokesperson tells Elite Daily by email that the report was "100 percent false."
As Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court hearing continues to be the latest piece of this year's political soap opera, let's hope something gets resolved from this ordeal. In the meantime, we'll just have to wait.
