Republicans condemn Trump’s mockery of Ford in Southaven speech

It will rotate throughout the rest of the day Thursday and potentially into Friday, with senators being briefed by staff members simultaneously. And as he has all week, McConnell reiterated his timeline for moving forward: “The Senate will vote on this nomination this week”.

US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks about some Democrats in Congress at a rally on October 2, 2018, in Southaven, Mississippi.

“We are finally rebuilding our country, and we are doing it with American aluminum, American steel and with our great electrical contractors”, he said. “The Senate will vote on this nomination this week”.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that President Trump was merely “stating the facts” when he reenacted Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford’s Senate testimony about her sexual assault allegation.

Imitating Ford, Mr. Trump added, “But I had one beer – that’s the only thing I remember”.

“I want to ask you about these new developments we found out overnight, these police documents that show that Brett Kavanaugh threw ice in someone’s face during a bar fight when he was in college”. She has said she wasn’t given a ride.

Graham also said to the audience that “if an opening comes in the previous year of President Trump’s term and the primary process has started, we’ll wait until the next election”, in reference to nominating another judge to the Supreme Court.

“Where’s the house? I don’t know!” I don’t know. I don’t know. Well, do you think it was – nope, it was one beer. “I don’t remember”, he answered, still again in Ford’s voice.

A lawyer for the woman who says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a college party, Deborah Ramirez, says he’s seen no indication that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has reached out to any of the 20 people who Ramirez says may be able to corroborate her account.

“There’s no time and no place for remarks like that”, Flake said in an interview with NBC News early Wednesday.

So far, no Republicans have said they would vote against Kavanaugh.

Trump, while making his case that Kavanaugh deserves a spot on the Supreme Court, told the rally crowd in MS, “I don’t even know him. They exploited Dr. Ford and all the women that have come out to make any accusation”.

Trump limited the investigation to no more than a week. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) in an elevator and were partially credited for his decision to side with Democrats in demanding the FBI investigation prior to a full Senate vote.

He said the pressure will be on Democrats in predominantly red states that Trump won in 2016, such as Sens. In the meantime, senators and a small number of top aides would be allowed to read the papers in a secure room in the Capitol complex.

The 100-person Senate is controlled by the Republicans (51-49) but as the midterms are approaching, it may not stay that way for long.

Yet Republicans are pushing forward with Kavanaugh’s nomination, seeing enthusiasm among the GOP base rising dramatically in the midst of the Kavanaugh controversy. “It’s fine”, Goldberg said toward the audience as he signaled for them to stop objecting.

“Are you saying Judge Kavanaugh is the victim in all this?”

A handful of senators are undecided on Kavanaugh.

“It’s just not right”.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Trump’s remarks “reprehensible” and said the president owes her “an immediate apology”.

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