Kellyanne Conway says Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony was 'compelling' and 'sympathetic' — but wrong

Kellyanne Conway

The White House is coming out in full force to defend Brett Kavanaugh the morning after Thursday's historic Senate hearing.

In an interview with CBS This Morning on Friday, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Christine Blasey Ford was "very compelling and very sympathetic" when she spoke on Capitol Hill, telling the anchors she has "goosebumps right now" recalling the testimony. But Conway still doesn't think Ford is right when she says she is "100 percent" certain it was Kavanaugh who groped her and attempted to rape her at a high school party.

Conway said it seems Ford "absolutely" was sexually assaulted, but not by Kavanaugh. "[Kavanaugh], and the rest of us, mean her no ill will," she said. "But he wasn't there." On Thursday, Ford repeatedly testified that there is no way she confused Kavanaugh with someone else, citing "basic memory functions." Kavanaugh has denied the allegations and has also argued that Ford is confused.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the same argument on Today using similar language. Like Conway, she called the testimony "very compelling" but said it "lacked any evidence." Watch a portion of Conway's interview on CBS This Morning below. Brendan Morrow

Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.