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Trump attacks 'totally political' investigation of new Kavanaugh allegations Trump attacks 'totally political' investigation of new Kavanaugh allegations
(about 2 hours later)
A Senate committee will investigate fresh allegations of sexual misconduct against supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh – claims Donald Trump dismissed on Monday as a “totally political” attempt to stop Republicans cementing a solid conservative majority on the bench.A Senate committee will investigate fresh allegations of sexual misconduct against supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh – claims Donald Trump dismissed on Monday as a “totally political” attempt to stop Republicans cementing a solid conservative majority on the bench.
At the United Nations in New York, Trump called his nominee “outstanding,” and said he is “with him all the way”. The White House mounted a vigorous defense of Kavanaugh after the new accounts roiled an already tumultuous confirmation process and intensified calls from Democrats to postpone “any further proceedings” related to his nomination.
Trump said: “He’s a fine man with an unblemished past and these are highly unsubstantiated statements from people represented by lawyers. You should look into the lawyers, their representation. Judge Kavanaugh is an outstanding person and I’m with him all the way.” At the United Nations in New York, Trump called his nominee an “outstanding person” with an “unblemished record”.
Trump spoke after the New Yorker reported on Sunday evening that a 53-year-old woman, Deborah Ramirez, accused Kavanaugh of thrusting his genitals in her face at a party when they were freshmen at Yale during the 1983-84 academic calendar. Kavanaugh has denied the claim, calling it a “smear, plain and simple”. “I am with him all the way,” Trump said.
Earlier on Monday, the White House adviser Kellyanne Conway called the claims a “vast leftwing conspiracy” and said Kavanaugh should not have to pay for decades of “pent-up” demands by women for a cultural reckoning on sexual misconduct. Trump spoke after the New Yorker reported on Sunday evening that a 53-year-old woman, Deborah Ramirez, accused Kavanaugh of thrusting his genitals in her face at a party when they were freshmen at Yale during the 1983-84 academic calendar.
“I don’t think one man’s shoulders should bear decades of the #MeToo movement,” Conway said in an interview on CBS News. Ramirez acknowledged that both she and Kavanaugh were inebriated at the time of the alleged incident and that she had some gaps in her memory. But she told the magazine she remembers another student shouting Kavanaugh’s name and said an FBI investigation was “warranted”.
The new accusations were published hours after Christine Blasey Ford, a California college professor who has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at high school party, agreed to testify publicly before the Senate judiciary panel on Thursday. Kavanaugh, who will also testify, has vehemently denied Ford’s allegation. Kavanaugh denied the claim, calling it a “smear, plain and simple”.
On Monday, the White House adviser Kellyanne Conway called the claims a “vast leftwing conspiracy” and said Kavanaugh should not have to pay for decades of “pent-up” demands by women for a cultural reckoning on sexual misconduct.
“I don’t think one man’s shoulders should bear decades of the #MeToo movement,” Conway told CBS News.
The new accusations were published hours after Christine Blasey Ford, a California college professor who has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at high-school party, agreed to testify publicly before the Senate judiciary committee on Thursday. Kavanaugh, who will also testify, has vehemently denied Ford’s allegation.
Ford’s lawyers said in a statement on Sunday: “Despite actual threats to her safety and her life, Dr Ford believes it is important for senators to hear directly from her about the sexual assault committed against her.”Ford’s lawyers said in a statement on Sunday: “Despite actual threats to her safety and her life, Dr Ford believes it is important for senators to hear directly from her about the sexual assault committed against her.”
Hours later, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the committee’s top Democrat, requested “an immediate postponement of any further proceedings related to the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh” in order to assess the new allegations. Hours later, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the committee’s top Democrat, requested “an immediate postponement of any further proceedings related to the nomination”.
The New Yorker story has come under fire for its reporting after the New York Times said its reporters had interviewed “several dozen people over the past week in an attempt to corroborate her story, and could find no one with first-hand knowledge”. On Monday, Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican on the judiciary committee, said the controversy around Kavanaugh’s nomination represented a “total collapse of the traditional confirmation process” and blamed Democrats for trying to tear apart Trump’s agenda by any means possible.
Journalist Ronan Farrow defended his article in the New Yorker, which says Ramirez spoke to the magazine after “six days of carefully assessing her memories and consulting with her attorney”. “Clearly when it comes to President Trump, elections – in the eyes of Democrats – have no consequences,” Graham said in a statement. “In my view, the process needs to move forward with a hearing Thursday, and vote in committee soon thereafter.”
“It is not accurate to say that those who knew him at the time dispute this,” Farrow said on ABC. He said there were “several people in this story who back Ms Ramirez”. The New Yorker has come under fire for its reporting after the New York Times said its reporters interviewed “several dozen people over the past week in an attempt to corroborate [Ramirez’s] story, and could find no one with first-hand knowledge”.
Reporter Ronan Farrow defended his article, which says Ramirez spoke to the magazine after “six days of carefully assessing her memories and consulting with her attorney”.
“It is not accurate to say that those who knew him at the time dispute this,” Farrow told ABC. He said there were “several people in this story who back Ms Ramirez”.
Also on Sunday night, Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels and a leading anti-Trump figure, released an email that he had sent to the Senate judiciary committee on behalf of an unnamed client. In it, Avenatti makes unsubstantiated claims about Kavanaugh’s behavior as a teenager in suburban Washington.Also on Sunday night, Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels and a leading anti-Trump figure, released an email that he had sent to the Senate judiciary committee on behalf of an unnamed client. In it, Avenatti makes unsubstantiated claims about Kavanaugh’s behavior as a teenager in suburban Washington.
In a statement on Sunday evening, Chuck Grassley, the judiciary committee chair, said his office contacted Avenatti as soon as the lawyer announced he may have information relevant to sexual misconduct claims against Kavanaugh. The committee staff has requested Avenatti provide “any evidence that he claims to have”.In a statement on Sunday evening, Chuck Grassley, the judiciary committee chair, said his office contacted Avenatti as soon as the lawyer announced he may have information relevant to sexual misconduct claims against Kavanaugh. The committee staff has requested Avenatti provide “any evidence that he claims to have”.
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