Trump Criticizes Kavanaugh Accusers as Confirmation Hangs in Balance

President Donald Trump criticized two of the women who have come forward with claims that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh engaged in sexual assault and other misconduct in the 1980s.

Speaking Tuesday night at a rally in Southaven, Mississippi, Trump attacked the credibility of Christine Blasey Ford, who last week testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh drunkenly assaulted her during a high school party more than 30 years ago.

The president, who days ago said Ford’s testimony was “very credible,” ridiculed her memory to cheers in the audience, suggesting certain details she didn’t recall were evidence that she wasn’t telling the truth. Kavanaugh has denied Ford’s claim.

“How did you get there? I don’t remember. Where was the place? I don’t remember,” Trump said, mocking Ford’s answers during last week’s hearing.

Ford, a California psychology professor, told the Senate that she is “100 percent” certain Kavanaugh was her attacker.

Trump then turned his ire toward Julie Swetnick, who claims Kavanaugh took part in efforts at parties during high school to get girls intoxicated so that groups of boys could have sex with them.

“This woman had no clue what was going on, and yet she made the most horrible charges,” Trump said, pointing out that Kavanaugh went to Yale as apparent evidence that the claims were spurious.

Trump has continued to support Kavanaugh amid the allegations but until Tuesday he had largely withheld criticism of the alleged victims.

On Monday, Trump said Kavanaugh’s testimony last week -- which immediately followed Ford’s -- showed that the nominee had “a little bit of difficulty” with alcohol when he was younger, undercutting Kavanaugh’s own portrayal of his drinking habits in high school and college.

The White House agreed on Monday to let the Federal Bureau of Investigation question more people in connection with allegations that Kavanaugh was sexually abusive toward women following growing criticism that the probe was too constrained. But the bureau isn’t doing its own deep dive into the nominee’s alcohol use or whether he gave false testimony to a Senate panel last week, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Senate Majority Mitch McConnell has said the Senate will hold a confirmation vote for Kavanaugh this week.