Houston's police chief on Friday responded to a tweet from President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE, telling the president it is "a fact" that sexual assault is underreported.

Trump said in a Friday morning tweet that if Christine Blasey Ford had been assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh back when they were in high school then a charge "would have immediately been filed" with local authorities.

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Police Chief Art Acevedo replied to Trump's tweet by saying that, historically, law enforcement has not done a good job of creating a space where victims feel comfortable coming forward to report assaults.

Sexual assault & domestic violence are row of the most under-reported crimes in society, this is a fact & in the past the law enforcement community has not done a good job of creating safe spaces for victims. Thankfully, we now work with partners like @hawctalk to do better. — Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) September 21, 2018

Until Friday's tweet, Trump hadn't directly criticized Ford, who is negotiating with the Senate Judiciary Committee about possible terms for her testimony next week before the panel.

Ford has accused Kavanaugh of pinning her down and trying to rip off her clothes during a house party while they were high school students during the early 1980s. In an account published by The Washington Post, Ford said Kavanaugh held his hand over her mouth during the alleged assault.

Kavanaugh has denied Ford's accusation.