Last Updated Sep 21, 2018 10:38 AM EDT
President Trump fired off his first tweets Friday morning about the allegation that his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh assaulted a woman when they were both in high school, saying that if the “attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed” with the police “by either her or her loving parents.”
“I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!” Mr. Trump tweeted.
The president has commented on the Kavanaugh allegation throughout the week, praising his Supreme Court pick’s integrity and intellect, while declining to attack Ford. On Friday, the president questioned why no one contacted the FBI “36 years ago,” after Democrats have urged the FBI to open an investigation into Ford.
“The radical left lawyers want the FBI to get involved NOW. Why didn’t someone call the FBI 36 years ago?” Mr. Trump tweeted.
On Friday, the president also claimed that Kavanaugh is “under assaulted by radical left wing politicians.”
“Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a fine man, with an impeccable reputation, who is under assault by radical left wing politicians who don’t want to know the answers, they just want to destroy and delay. Facts don’t matter. I go through this with them every single day in D.C.,” Mr. Trump wrote.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, declined an earlier request by Ford to have the FBI investigate her allegation against Kavanaugh.The FBI has included the allegation in Kavanaugh’s background file, and is not opening any additional probe at this time, although the president could theoretically direct the FBI to undertake a further review. The president said he trusts the Senate to do its job.
Grassley said in a tweet Thursday that committee investigators have been following up on the leads from Ford’s allegations and from news stories. “No other OUTSIDE investigation is necessary for the Cmte to do its investigation,” Grassley’s tweet read.
Mr. Trump’s tweets come as Ford, her lawyers and the Senate Judiciary negotiate her possible testimony next week. Ford has listed a set of requirements for her to testify.
CBS News has confirmed that those conditions include:
- Ford will not appear any sooner than next Thursday;
- No questions to be asked at hearing by any outside counsel — only senators;
- Mark Judge must be subpoenaed;
- Kavanaugh would testify first, then Ford would testify, and Kavanaugh would have no opportunity to respond or rebut;
- Deadline for her to provide written statement before the hearing would be waived;
- Provide adequate security;
- Only one pool camera in hearing room;
- Ford and Kavanaugh allotted the same amount of time to talk
Highlights from earlier this week:
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Senate Judiciary Committee still has Monday hearing scheduled
Having given Ford until 10 a.m. Friday to submit testimony for a scheduled hearing Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to say whether it will change the date of that hearing, or accept any of Ford’s demands.
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