In a rare full-blown news conference, President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated support for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and ripped Senate Democrats.
On the eve of a high-stakes hearing set for Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Trump noted that Democrats have already made up their minds. That is one reason why calls for the FBI to reopen its background investigation of Kavanaugh in the wake of sexual assault allegations were pointless, he said.
“It’s not going to change any of the Democrats’ minds. They’re obstructionists,” he said. “They’re actually con artists, because they know how quality this man is. And they’ve destroyed a man’s reputation, and they want to destroy it even more. And I think people are gonna see that in the midterms.”
The allegations are a “big, fat con job,” Trump said.
And Democrats know it, the president insisted.
“They laugh like hell at what they’ve pulled off on you and on the public,” he said. “They laugh like hell.”
Trump also made some news about his embattled deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein. The president is scheduled to meet Thursday with Rosenstein to discuss his future amid a New York Times story that the deputy attorney general discussed wearing a wire to tape the president and recruit Cabinet officers to remove him from office under the 25th Amendment.
Trump said he may ask Rosenstein for a brief delay because he does not want anything to compete with Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider allegations against Kavanaugh.
Trump noted that Rosensein has denied The Times story.
“He’s a member of the Trump administration, in that sense. It’s the Justice Department,” he said. “I would certainly prefer not doing that [firing him]. There was no collusion. There was no obstruction, unless you call obstruction the fact that I fight back.”
Trump said he would like Rosenstein to continue overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination with the Republican nominee’s campaign.
“My preference would be to keep him and let him finish up — you know, I called it a witch hunt, and it is a witch hunt,” he said.
Related: Rule of Law ‘Unravelled’ if Dems Tank Kavanaugh, Florida AG Warns
The Kavanaugh topic dominated the news conference, however. The president was relatively restrained in his assessment of three women who have accused Kavanaugh of sexual impropriety as a teenager.
“These are false — to me — these are all false accusation in certain cases, and in certain cases, even the media agrees with that,” he said. “I can only say that what they’ve done to this man is incredible.”
Trump predicted the controversy would scare away future nominees. But Trump was careful not to attack the women directly. He said the first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, will have a chance to be heard on Thursday.
“And you know what, I could be persuaded, also,” he said.
Trump backed off comments from a few days ago questioning why Ford did not report the incident to authorities at the time it allegedly happened.
Related: Media Overwhelmingly ‘Rigged’ Against Kavanaugh, MRC Study Shows
“In some instances, people keep it quiet. It’s a very tough situation for a woman; there’s no question about it,” he said. “And in some cases, they do report it … I’m not saying they had to report it. Because it’s a very personal thing. It’s a very big problem.”
Trump acknowledged that he is sensitive to false allegations because he has been the target of them.
“Well, it does impact my opinion. You know why? ’Cause I’ve had a lot of false charges made against me,” he said. “I’m a very famous person, unfortunately. I’ve been a famous person for a long time … So, when I see it, I view it very differently than somebody sitting home watching television.”
Trump, however, did not spare Democrats — or lawyer Michael Avenatti, for that matter. Avenatti represents Julie Swetnick, who came forward on Wednesday to accuse Kavanaugh of groping girls during high school drinking parties and attending parties where “gang” rapes occurred.
“Then you have this other con artist — Avenatti — come out with another beauty today,” he said.
Avenatti also represents porn star Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against the president. The president called him a “low life.”
Related: Outraged Hatch Fires Back After Third Kavanaugh Accuser Surfaces
Trump batted away a question about why he allegedly always stands with men who have been accused of sexual misconduct rather than the women who have accused them. He said it could go the other way.
“I could pick a woman, and she could have some charges made from many years ago, also, and I would look at the character,” he said.
Trump accused Democrats of politicizing the process.
“If we brought George Washington here, and we said, ‘We have George Washington,’ the Democrats would vote against him,” he said. “Just so you understand. And he may have had a bad past. Who knows?”
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