President Trump on Monday celebrated the swearing-in of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court during a primetime ceremony at the White House, where the…
President Trump on Monday celebrated the swearing-in of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court during a primetime ceremony at the White House, where the two men took a victory lap in the wake of the brutal confirmation fight.
Trump, Kavanaugh and his predecessor, retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, emerged in the East Room to a standing ovation shortly after 7 p.m.
In his introductory remarks, the president addressed the sexual misconduct allegations that nearly derailed Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“On behalf of our nation, I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure,” Trump said. “Those who step forward to serve our country deserve a fair and dignified evaluation, not a campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception.
“What happened to the Kavanaugh family violates every notion of fairness, decency and due process,” the president continued. “In our country, a man or woman must always be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
Trump’s defense of Kavanaugh prompted applause from those in the room, including Justice Clarence Thomas, who was confirmed the court in 1991 in the face of sexual harassment allegations from Anita Hill.
Kavanaugh’s wife and two daughters, Republican Senate leaders, the eight other sitting Supreme Court justices and prominent conservative figures such as Laura Ingraham, David Bossie and Matt Schlapp were also present during Monday’s event.
While Kavanaugh was officially sworn-in at a private ceremony on Saturday, Monday provided yet another opportunity for Trump and Republicans to tout a signature achievement.
Kavanaugh was confirmed in a 50-48 vote on Saturday, with one Republican senator voting “present” and another absent. Sen. Joe Manchin (W. Va.), who faces a tough reelection fight, was the lone Democrat to vote for the judge.
The narrow vote came after a five-day supplementary FBI investigation into allegations by three separate women of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh.
One of the accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and groped her, trying to remove her clothes, when the two were in high school.
Kavanaugh fiercely denied the claims, saying in his own testimony that they were part of an “orchestrated political hit” born out of Democratic frustration with Trump.
The comments provided new fodder for his opponents, who questioned if he had the temperament and impartiality to sit on the high court.
Kavanaugh did not directly address the allegations on Monday evening, but alluded to the furor that surrounded them. He asserted he would work to maintain the Supreme Court’s role as a non-partisan institution.
«I take this office with gratitude and no bitterness,» Kavanaugh said. «On the Supreme Court, I will seek to be a force for stability and unity. My goal is to be a great justice for all Americans, and for all of America.»
Trump and Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — who received a standing ovation upon entering the room on Monday — have suggested that the fervent anti-Kavanaugh protests that broke out inside and around the Captiol in recent weeks will ignite the Republican base, and possibly backfire against Democrats.
Earlier Monday, Trump dismissed the allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh as a “hoax that was set up by the Democrats.»
“It was all made up, it was fabricated and it’s a disgrace,” Trump told reporters. “And I think it’s going to really show you something come Nov. 6.”
