The Twitter president kept it together for five days. And he only had a few more to go.
Demonstrating an unprecedented amount of restraint, President Donald Trump has spent the past week sinking his teeth into his tongue (and Twitter account) at the request of aides and lawmakers, who have asked him to avoid his natural instinct: attacking the woman who has accused his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, of sexual assault.
After the Washington Post published a detailed account of Palo Alto University Professor Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations against Kavanaugh on Sunday, Trump kept quiet for nearly two full days. The discipline reportedly came at the behest of White House counsel Don McGahn and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who advised Trump to distance himself and avoid attacking the accuser. According to Politico, Trump’s initial urges fell in line with expectations: he wanted to fight back.
Addressing the scandal directly for the first time on Tuesday, Trump demonstrated rare prudence during a pool spray and offered cursory sympathy for Kavanaugh.
“I feel so badly for him that he is going through this to be honest with you,” he told reporters. “I feel so badly for him. This is not a man that deserves this.”
On Tuesday and into Wednesday, as Republicans called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to delay the confirmation vote and hold a public hearing and the White House propelled it’s talking points — that Blasey Ford should be heard, but the whole ordeal was Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) fault — Trump continued to avoid criticizing the accuser.
He tweeted about the importance of the Supreme Court confirmation and even hinted at a change of heart, suggesting “we’ll have to make a decision” if Blasey Ford’s allegations proved credible. He lamented it would be “unfortunate” if Blasey Ford didn’t appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, as uncertainty dangled over whether she intended to testify. Blasey Ford’s lawyers told the Senate Judiciary Committee that she wanted the FBI to conduct an investigation before she would appear before the Senate, a move Trump had already deemed “not” the FBI’s “thing.”
But by Thursday evening — as Blasey Ford indicated she’d be willing to testify under certain conditions — Trump was getting increasingly anxious about Kavanaugh’s chances of survival.
Several people told me yesterday that Trump by end of day was more anxious about whether Kavanaugh makes it through. https://t.co/FdxSErY2at
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) September 21, 2018
While White House officials reportedly hoped Trump would “keep it together” until Monday, Trump hinted he was losing his patience during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday evening, when he questioned why the accuser hadn’t told anyone about the alleged assault after it happened when she was 15 years old.
“Why didn’t somebody call the FBI 36 years ago?” he said. “What’s going on?”
By Friday morning, Trump’s base instincts burst back out into the open. In a series of tweets, Trump invoked the claims of the accuser, suggesting Kavanaugh was “under assault” from the “radical left-wing politicians.” Minutes later he claimed Blasey Ford wouldn’t filed charges as a teenager if the alleged assault was “as bad as she says.”
Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a fine man, with an impeccable reputation, who is under assault by radical left wing politicians who don’t want to know the answers, they just want to destroy and delay. Facts don’t matter. I go through this with them every single day in D.C.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2018
I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2018
The radical left lawyers want the FBI to get involved NOW. Why didn’t someone call the FBI 36 years ago?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2018
“If it was really so bad, something would have happened to the offender…” is the sound of an accomplished abuser rationalizing.
Please proceed, Mr. President.
Could be a long weekend for the Republicans. But maybe gold for the Democrats. Keep telling us your real feelings, Donnie.
I think Debra Katz wrote this for him.
Trump can’t resist stepping on rakes. His outrageous attacks on the victim of sexual assault may — if 2 GOP senators have consciences — be enough to kill the Kavanaugh nomination.