Trump: I hope voters pay attention to Dem tactics amid Kavanaugh fight

President Trump on Tuesday night said he hopes voters are paying attention to the Democratic “playbook” amid the tumultuous nomination process for his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, which has recently been plagued by sexual assault allegations.

“The Supreme Court is one of the main reasons I got elected President. I hope Republican Voters, and others, are watching, and studying, the Democrats Playbook,” Trump tweeted.

The Supreme Court is one of the main reasons I got elected President. I hope Republican Voters, and others, are watching, and studying, the Democrats Playbook.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 18, 2018

Senate Republicans have been determined to get Kavanaugh confirmed before the November midterm elections, where Democrats are hoping to ride out a “blue wave” and retake both chambers of Congress.

But Kavanaugh’s confirmation, which until recently was seen as a virtual given, was thrown into doubt after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she had sent a secret letter regarding Kavanaugh to the FBI. Amid media reports that the letter contained allegations against Kavanaugh, a California professor named Christine Blasey Ford went public to accuse the nominee of sexually assaulting her at a party in the 1980s.

The public allegations led to calls from members of both parties to delay Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote, which was originally intended to be held Thursday. A new public hearing, in which both Kavanaugh and Ford were invited to testify, was scheduled for next week.

But a new wrinkle in the proceedings emerged on Tuesday evening when Ford’s lawyers sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asking that the testimony be delayed until the FBI conducted an investigation into the allegations. The request was quickly shot down by Grassley.

Republicans have been critical of the way Feinstein and other Democrats have handled the allegations, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) likening their tactics to a “drive-by shooting.” Trump earlier on Tuesday expressed sympathy for Kavanaugh, saying he felt “badly for him.”

The nomination of Kavanaugh, which followed the announcement that Justice Anthony Kennedy was retiring, drew swift criticism from the left, who argue the judge poses a threat to women’s reproductive rights. 

Conservatives, on the other hand, have been largely supportive of Kavanaugh, as well as Trump’s other judicial nominations. Senate Republicans have been confirming Trump’s court picks at a record pace, as conservatives seek to reshape the country’s judiciary.