The White House said Wednesday that President Trump was merely “stating the facts” when he questioned the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
“He was stating facts that were given during Dr. Ford’s testimony,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said of the president’s comments at a campaign rally in Mississippi. Mr. Trump poked fun at Ms. Blasey Ford’s inability to remember key facts about the alleged attack.
She said the president isn’t worried that he offended swing votes in the Senate, including Republican Sens. Susan M. Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
“The president’s very confident in his nominee,” she said. “They [senators] have to determine what the facts are in this case.”
Mrs. Sanders blasted Senate Democrats for a “coordinated smear campaign” against Judge Kavanaugh, who adamantly denies Ms. Blasey Ford’s allegations.
Asked if the president was mocking Ms. Blasey Ford, Mrs. Sanders replied, “It seemed to me he was stating facts.”She agreed with the president’s assessment last week that Ms. Blasey Ford has “a compelling story.”
“Nobody disagrees with that. At the end of the day, the Senate has to make a decision on where they stand,” Mrs. Sanders said. “The president believes Judge Kavanaugh should be confirmed.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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