Sometimes a statement doesn’t make things better. A lawyer connected to the White House tried to defend Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh from a sexual assault complaint, and some thought that instead of doing so, he kind of told on himself.

Speaking to Politico, a lawyer “close to the White House” denied the nomination would be withdrawn after a professor publicly stepped forward in a Washington Post interview.

“No way, not even a hint of it,” he said. “If anything, it’s the opposite. If somebody can be brought down by accusations like this, then you, me, every man certainly should be worried. We can all be accused of something.”

This statement did not have the response he may have expected.

Jesus. “If somebody can be brought down by accusations like this, then you, me, every man certainly should be worried.“ – a lawyer “close to the White House.” https://t.co/LF0z7N14gS pic.twitter.com/xfnSrjHCNP — Eric Umansky (@ericuman) September 16, 2018

All together, a few observers noted that he made it sound like he committed sexual assault, or could be “credibly accused” of it.

“If somebody can be brought down by accusations like this, then you, me, every man certainly should be worried,” a lawyer close to the White House told @politico, perhaps unaware of how badly he was slandering himself. “We can all be accused of something.” https://t.co/d4Q0xsF7sQ — Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) September 16, 2018

White House basically admitting that every man there could be credibly accused of sexual assault pic.twitter.com/1pAk3DZFYv — Jess Dweck (@TheDweck) September 16, 2018

These terrible people are so tantalizingly close to self-awareness https://t.co/iAgKhkzHaB — Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) September 16, 2018

Whatever he meant, the lawyer’s suggestion would be in line with the White House’s previous approach to controversy. Attack, attack, attack. In a statement, Republicans on the Judiciary Committee said they are ready to move forward with Kavanaugh’s nomination, and cast doubt on the allegation.

Professor Christine Blasey Ford said Kavanaugh pinned her to bed and tried to remove her clothes during a party decades while. She claimed his friend Mark Judge watched. Both men denied the allegation before she went public. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), a member of the Judiciary Committee, said he’s open to hearing her testify, though he voiced concern about the “substance and process” surrounding her story.

[Image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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