President Donald Trump said on Monday he believes Senate Committee on the Judiciary ranking minority member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) probably leaked to the media Christine Blasey Ford’s letter containing sexual assault claims against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
“If she wanted a thorough investigation, we had all the time in the world,” Trump said. “We had two months. She didn’t do that. She waited until we were close, and then she, probably, leaked it. But who am I to say? But she probably leaked it based on her very bad body language the other day.”
Kavanaugh was just days away from his nomination’s advancement to the full Senate when he was accused of sexual assault.
The letter was leaked to the media with the name redacted on September 12. Feinstein received the letter nearly six weeks prior but did not share it with Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) or anyone else who could investigate the claims.
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Feinstein received the letter detailing the alleged incident dated July 30. Ford requested that the letter remain confidential; so the accusations remained so. That was until the letter was leaked and her accusations became publicly known. Feinstein later referred the matter to the FBI after it had leaked.
Trump said he is open to the Senate’s wishes, but said he is concerned the new FBI investigation, which is supposed to take no more than one week and focus only on “credible allegations,” could turn into another witch hunt.
Ford, a California psychology professor, claims that the nominee sexually assaulted her while they were both were high school students at elite Maryland suburban schools in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh has stoutly denied ever sexually assaulting any individual, at any place and at any time in his life.
Kavanaugh has called the Democrats’ conduct a “national disgrace” for weaponizing Ford’s allegations for political gain; and he vowed not to be intimidated into withdrawing his nomination.
Trump said he is open to the Senate’s wishes, but said he is concerned the new FBI investigation, which is supposed to take no more than one week and focus only on “credible allegations,” could turn into another witch hunt.
Grassley has repeatedly said in response to the controversy that Ford deserves to be heard, but has questioned the timing of the leak.
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