White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that President Donald Trump was not mocking Christine Blasey Ford at his campaign rally last night, but simply “stating the facts.”
“It wasn’t anything other than the president stating facts,” said Sanders, “facts that were laid out in the prosecutor’s memo that she put forward to the Senate. Each of the things he called out were laid out in that memo.”
Ford has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when the two were in high school; Kavanaugh denies the claim. Both testified last week at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the Republicans had an independent prosecutor ask their questions for them.
At his Tuesday night rally in Mississippi, Trump indicated that Ford’s inability to recall certain details about her alleged assault discredits her account, despite his calling her a “very credible witness” just last week.
“How did you get there? I don’t remember. Where was the place? I don’t remember,” said Trump, reenacting Ford’s testimony to the cheering crowd.
Trump’s comments have been criticized by two key Republicans who are yet undecided on Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Reporters noted this at Wednesday’s White House press briefing, but Sanders insisted that Trump continues to be “very confident in his nominee.”
Sanders added that Ford’s testimony was “compelling,” but the Senate must make a decision “based on fact.” She also said Democrats have turned the confirmation process into “a complete and total disgrace,” of which both Ford and Kavanaugh are victims.