President Donald Trump said Tuesday the FBI does not want to investigate an allegation of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
"I don’t think the FBI should be involved because they don't want to be involved,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “If they wanted to be, I would certainly do that."
Christine Blasey Ford claimed Kavanaugh assaulted her when they were both teenagers in high school.
NBC News noted Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, had forwarded Ford’s claim to the FBI, which sent it to the White House as an update to its background check on the nominee.
Kavanaugh has strongly denied the allegations.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a Monday hearing with Kavanaugh and Ford expected to give testimony. However, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the committee, has said Ford has not yet responded to the panel’s invitation.
Democrats on the committee have blasted Republicans’ handling of the entire issue.
“Given the seriousness of these allegations, and the scrutiny the committee is under, we are disappointed you decided to move forward without consulting the minority, without confirming witnesses, without demanding the FBI complete an independent review, and without allowing the committee to perform its duties," they wrote in a letter to Grassley.
Trump said it's "terrible" that Feinstein didn't raise the allegations sooner, but said he's "totally supporting" his nominee.
Trump said he wants everyone to have the chance to speak out and Kavanaugh is "very anxious" to testify in his defense. "We want to hear both sides," Trump said.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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