CNN's Jake Tapper grilled Kellyanne Conway on what Trump believes about the Kavanaugh allegations


White House counselor Kellyanne Conway appeared on CNN's State of the Union Sunday, where host Jake Tapper attempted to nail down exactly what President Trump believes about the sexual assault allegations made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
After watching Thursday's testimony from Kavanaugh's primary accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, Trump called her a "very fine woman" and a "credible witness" with a "compelling" testimony. "'Credible' means 'believable.' That's the definition of credible," Tapper said. "Does President Trump believe her?"
Conway responded in typically sly style, noting that "'credible' and 'compelling' are words many of us have used to describe her testimony" before pivoting to reiterate Kavanaugh's denials. The conversation drifted, and when Tapper brought it back around, Conway suggested both Ford and Kavanaugh may be speaking honestly, albeit in her case misinformed by faulty memory.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Later in the conversation, Conway revealed she too is a victim of sexual assault. "I feel very empathetic for victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and rape," she said. "I'm a victim of sexual assault."
Watch Conway's full interview below. The Trump segment begins about five minutes in, and Conway's personal comments around the 11-minute mark. Bonnie Kristian
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats
-
Trump ties $20B Argentina bailout to Milei votes
speed read Trump will boost Argentina’s economy — if the country’s right-wing president wins upcoming elections