Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez have both publicly accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. A third woman, Julie Swetnick, has now accused Kavanaugh of a pattern of sexual misconduct, including involvement in gang rapes.

The Republican majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee only plans to allow a hearing about Ford’s allegation. Even then, they refuse to compel the only alleged eyewitness of the assault against Ford to testify, and haven’t called for an FBI investigation.

And yet even that much is too much for President Trump, who on Wednesday lamented that Kavanaugh wasn’t confirmed before any investigation could take place at all.

“I think the Senate, the Republicans, could not be nicer in the way they are handling this,” Trump said during remarks made to reporters from the UN. “They could have pushed it through two and a half weeks ago, and wouldn’t be talking about it right now — which is frankly what I would’ve preferred. But they didn’t do that.”


“Republicans could not be nicer, could not be more respectful to the process,” Trump continued. “Certainly could not be more respectful to the woman, and I’m okay with that. I think I might’ve pushed it forward a lot faster.”

Trump went on to endorse the character of Kavanaugh — who has responded to the allegations by spreading unfounded conspiracy theories about his accusers’ motives — before framing the allegations as a plot hatched by Democrats.

“I know this particular man — Judge Kavanaugh. He’s outstanding. You don’t find people like this. He’s outstanding. He’s a gem. He’s an absolute gem,” Trump said. “And he’s been treated very unfairly by the Democrats, who are playing a con game. They know what they’re doing — it’s a con.”

“They go into a back room and they talk with each other, and they laugh at what they’re getting away with,” the president added. “It’s a con game, and that’s what they play. And that’s about the only thing they do well.”

Trump’s comments mark a stunning reversal from September 14, when he claimed that he’d like “to see a complete process” because there “shouldn’t be any doubt.”


Those comments were the exception to the norm for Trump, who has been accused of sexual assault by 15 women and reliably takes the side of his political allies when they’ve been accused of sexual misconduct, at times even ignoring photographic evidence of their guilt.

Swetnick, who says she’s a former federal employee with security clearances who is willing to testify under oath, went public with her allegations a couple hours after Trump made his comments to the UN. And yet, even after a third accuser came forward, CNN reported that Trump continues to stand by Kavanaugh.