Flake calls Trump’s attack against Christine Blasey Ford ‘appalling’

A vote to confirm Mr Kavanaugh has been delayed as the FBI investigates the claims, which he denies.

Sen. Chuck Grassley sent a seething letter to Ford’s attorneys on Tuesday evening accusing the sexual assault accuser’s lawyers of withholding critical information from the U.S. Senate in response to the latest round of he said, she said.

“This was so much more than stating the facts”, Vega noted. That’s the only thing I remember, ‘ ” Trump said as he attempted to impersonate Ford onstage. And Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who like Cornyn sits on the Judiciary Committee, also said he would have no issue with at least a summary of the FBI’s report being made public. Flake added, “I wish he hadn’t done it”. “It’s kind of appalling”.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, told reporters: “The resident’s comments were just plain wrong”.

Ford has said the incident happened in an upstairs room of a home and that she is “100 percent” certain it was Kavanaugh who assaulted her, although she has acknowledged that her memories of other details of the evening remain unclear. She defended her actions as protecting Ford’s desire for privacy.

Trump, who last week referred to Ford as a “very credible witness”, continued in his impression: “What neighborhood was it in?” One of them is Republican Jeff Flake of Arizona, who was greeted by hundreds of liberal protesters, victims of sexual assault among them, during an appearance Monday in Boston. “‘I don’t remember, ‘” Mr. Trump said at the rally, apparently alternating between questioner and an impression of Ford.

White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday echoed the president’s newly aggressive approach. “He’s pointing out factual inconsistencies”. “Vote him up or down”.

She did not say if it would affect her vote.

Flake has clashed repeatedly with Trump over his behaviour and is retiring at year’s end.

“That’ll not be used as another reason for delay, I can tell you that”, he added.

Democrats contend the investigation has not been expanded to sufficient potential witnesses. Once the Senate receives the FBI’s report, Republicans are expected to move toward a vote.

As tensions flare, Democrats have suggested that Kavanaugh was not truthful during his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, opening up a new line of attack against the embattled nominee. That agreement allows only senators and 10 congressional aides with “top secret” clearances to review Federal Bureau of Investigation background information for Supreme Court nominees.

McConnell mocked the questions from Democrats about Kavanaugh’s drinking in high school and college.

Pushing back on the Democratic attacks, Republicans said Kavanaugh had every right to be upset during the hearing.

Speaking to reporters in Washington earlier in the day, Trump had appeared to take aim at the broader #MeToo movement against sexual assault and harassment, saying that it had reversed the burden of proof required by judicial system.

“All of us need to keep in mind there’s a few people that are on the fence right now”. Smyth and Leland Keyser. When asked whether he had a message for American women, Trump said: “Women are doing great”.

But Republicans said they, too, are seeing signs of renewed energy among core Trump supporters that some had initially suspected would be less likely than Democrats to turn out at polls next month.

“It does us no good to have an investigation that just gives us more cover”, Flake said.

Ford ultimately revealed her identity in a September 16 article published by The Washington Post.