Trump indicates he could pull Kavanaugh's nomination after Thursday hearing: 'I can be persuaded also'

(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 26 September 2018

President Trump held a rare solo press conference Wednesday afternoon amid dramatic allegations about his embattled Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.

Trump decried the three allegations of sexual misconduct facing Kavanaugh as a "big fat con job" being perpetrated by Democrats. Kavanaugh faces two allegations of sexual assault stemming from parties he attended in high school, while one of his former classmates at Yale University alleges that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a drunken dorm party.

Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges Kavanaugh forcibly groped her at a high school party, will testify alongside the nominee before the Senate on Thursday about her allegation. Trump declined to say outright that he believes all three women are lying, but he did call into question why the accusations had not come to light in the intervening 30-some years since they allegedly occurred, and he repeatedly called the claims a "con."

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Still, he said, "I can be persuaded also" by Thursday's testimony from Ford. Trump appeared to say that all three accusers should be allowed to speak, and that he would "have to hear" their testimony to see if it is "convincing" enough for him to pull Kavanaugh's nomination. Only Ford is scheduled to speak before the Senate, though the other two women — Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick — have indicated a certain willingness to do so as well.

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