Donald Trump, who was “furious” at his White House aides for not preparing him for how credible Christine Blasey Ford would seem during her testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee only a few hours ago today, has swung back to a good mood after his Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, seemed to have taken a leaf out of Trump’s book.
According to the Washington Post ‘s White House reporter Robert Costa, Donald Trump is “riveted” by Kavanaugh’s combative attitude during his testimony.
“President Trump is ‘riveted’ and telling people, ‘This is why I nominated him,’ in a positive way, per person close to him. Talking to lots of people inside WH about how he likes how Kavanaugh is fighting back. Admires the defiance,” Costa tweeted while Kavanaugh was still answering questions.
The New York Times had reported yesterday that Trump had advice for Kavanaugh ahead of his testimony Thursday. There seems to be little doubt that Kavanaugh has heeded Trump’s advice.
“Be more aggressive, show more outrage, push back more. In other words, be more like Mr. Trump.”
After Dr. Ford rallied many to her side, Brett Kavanaugh is now inspiring conservatives — tough, defiant, emotionally moving. Question: Will his virulent attacks against Dems create fear that if confirmed, he will seek revenge against the left?
— David Gergen (@David_Gergen) September 27, 2018
And now Kavanaugh is yelling at Senator Dianne Feinstein who simply asked him why he hasn’t called for an FBI investigation. pic.twitter.com/27vT6LsPDa
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) September 27, 2018
Trump reportedly wanted Kavanaugh to be more indignant at the accusations leveled at him, unlike how he appeared during his interview on Fox News when he stuck closely to talking points and looked rehearsed. After accuser Christine Blasey Ford’s dignified and courageous testimony in the morning today, which was reportedly not expected by Trump, Kavanaugh appeared in a combative mood, blaming the Democrats for having taken away simple pleasures from his life.
“I love teaching law. But thanks to what some of you on this side of the committee I may never be able to teach again,” Kavanaugh said.
“I love coaching more than anything more than anything I’ve ever done in my whole life. But thanks to what some of you on this side of the committee have unleashed, I may never be able to coach again.”
He also denied all allegations against him, including those made by Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, calling the latter’s allegations of sexual assault “a joke, a farce.”
But despite being impressed by Brett Kavanaugh’s attitude, not everything is rosy in Trump’s garden. White House aides were reportedly aghast about Kavanaugh’s “crying” during the testimony, and Donald Trump is already considering another closed-door vote on Kavanaugh this coming Saturday.
“Saturday. Noon. Senators vote on motion to proceed. Should be at least 51-49. Allegations with zero corroboration from 35 years ago, no matter how sympathetic the accuser and how widespread belief something must have happened to her, cannot be hidden and then used to ambush,” tweeted NBC News/MSNBC contributor Hugh Hewitt of Trump’s plans to hold another vote after the testimonies.
