If President Trump was hoping for a slam dunk, this was not it.
Trump complained that Christine Blasey Ford "seems credible," Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman reported Thursday. The president is watching as Ford testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school in the 1980s.
Trump had told reporters Wednesday that he planned to listen to Ford's allegations, saying that he "can be persuaded" into pulling Kavanaugh's nomination if Ford is "convincing" enough. Apparently, he wasn't expecting to be convinced. He was reportedly "furious" that White House aides didn't have advance notice that Ford would seem so credible, and has been "raging" over how bad the hearing has been for Republicans so far.
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Over on Trump's favorite channel, Fox News, pundits were equally impressed and concerned. Host Chris Wallace said Ford's testimony was "extremely emotional, extremely raw, and extremely credible," while Judge Andrew Napolitano said on the network that "all of us agree that this witness is exceptionally credible." Napolitano predicted that Trump "cannot be happy with this" hearing so far.
Ford told the committee that she felt it was her "civic duty" to come forward despite being "terrified." Kavanaugh, who has denied any wrongdoing, is scheduled to testify after Ford.
