President Donald Trump has sought to make Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's bitter confirmation process a campaign-trail issue in the run-up to the midterm elections. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images White House Trump casts doubt on Kavanaugh accusers following new DOJ referral

President Donald Trump on Saturday again sought to cast doubt on the sexual misconduct allegations that nearly crippled Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation process, citing claims by a top Senate Republican that an accuser admitted to lying about an alleged assault.

"A vicious accuser of Justice Kavanough has just admitted that she was lying, her story was totally made up, or FAKE!," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Can you imagine if he didn’t become a Justice of the Supreme Court because of her disgusting False Statements. What about the others? Where are the Dems on this?" the president continued.


Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who presided over Kavanaugh's contentious confirmation hearings, requested in a letter to the Justice Department and the FBI on Friday that the agencies investigate Judy Munro-Leighton for making false statements to committee investigators and obstructing committee investigations.

"Regarding the false sexual-assault allegation she made via her email to the Committee, she said: 'I was angry, and I sent it out,'" Grassley wrote in his letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray. "When asked by Committee investigators whether she had ever met Judge Kavanaugh, she said: 'Oh Lord, no.'"

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Grassley has also referred for investigation another Kavanaugh accuser, Julie Swetnick, as well as her attorney, Michael Avenatti — best known for representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels in her suit against President Donald Trump.

Avenatti fired back at Trump in a tweet Saturday, writing: "[email protected] - my client Ms. Swetnick and I are still waiting on the supposed 'criminal investigation' that Chuck 'I Never Went to Law School' Grassley demanded. I have only heard from the FBI once - to tell me I was a target of your MAGA bomber. You are a complete fraud."

Kavanaugh's confirmation trial was roiled by the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor whose allegation of sexual assault against Kavanaugh kick-started a weeklong FBI investigation of the Supreme Court nominee.

Trump has sought to make Kavanaugh's bitter confirmation process a campaign-trail issue in the run-up to the midterm elections. He corrected the spelling of Kavanaugh's name in a later tweet.