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Sen.Jeff Flake, the Republican lawmaker who called for theone-week FBI investigation into allegationsagainst Supreme Court nomineeBrett Kavanaugh, is speaking out against PresidentDonald Trump‘s mocking of Kavanaugh’s accuserChristine Blasey Ford.
OnTodayon Wednesday, Flake, 55, toldSavannah Guthrie, 46, that the president’s remarks were “kind of appalling.”
Alongside Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat on theSenate Judiciary Committee, Flake said, “There’s no time and no place for remarks like that. To discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right. It’s just not right. I wish he hadn’t have done it.”
Two other GOP senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, also spoke out against Trump’s attack on Ford,The Washington Postreported.
On Tuesday, Trump, 72,made fun of Ford’s testimonyat a rally in Mississippi. As he acted outthe hearing, Trump said, “I had one beer. It was one beer. How did you get home? I don’t remember. How did you get there? I don’t remember. Where is the place? I don’t remember. How many years ago was it? I don’t know.”
He continued, “What neighborhood was it in? I don’t know. Where’s the house? I don’t know. Upstairs? Downstairs? Where was it? I don’t know. But I had one beer. That’s the only thing I remember.”
Trump added, “A man’s life is in tatters. A man’s life is shattered. His wife is shattered. His daughters, who are beautiful, incredible young kids. They destroy people. They want to destroy people. These are really evil people.”
Ford — a 51-year-old research psychologist and professor at Palo Alto University —claims that Kavanaugh, 53, sexually assaulted herat a high school party in the 1980s, where he allegedly pinned her down to a bed, groped her and tried to remove her clothes. Kavanaugh denies the allegation.
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Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, but Flake is considered one of three critical deciding votes on Kavanaugh’s confirmation. He is being closely watched this week for signs of wavering in their previously stated support for Trump’s nominee.
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When Guthrie asked whether Kavanaugh “was truthful and straightforward in all respects” at his hearing, Flake replied, “A lot of people were concerned about the tone that he used. When he said what he said, my reaction was that’s probably how I would react if I felt that I was unjustly accused.”
A second woman, Deborah Ramirez,accused Kavanaugh of committing sexual misconductwhen they were freshmen at Yale. Ramirez, 53, said that Kavanaugh “exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away,”The New Yorkerreported.
A third accuser, Julie Swetnick, alsoaccused Kavanaugh of committing sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh denies these allegations as well.
source: people.com
