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Trump: Democrats Running ‘Big, Fat Con Job’ on Kavanaugh

President won’t say whether he thinks accusers are lying

President Donald Trump attends a meeting on the global drug problem at the United Nations on Monday. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump attends a meeting on the global drug problem at the United Nations on Monday. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Senate Democrats of being hellbent on taking down Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, saying they would have attacked him even if the FBI had returned a “perfect score” after investigating sexual misconduct allegations against him.

“You wouldn’t have gotten one vote” from Democrats, Trump said at a news conference in New York where he has been attending a United Nations conference.

“The told us they’ve investigated Judge Kavanaugh six times. They know him very well,” the president said. “There was … nothing to investigate. They didn’t know the location. They didn’t know time. They didn’t know the year. They didn’t know anything,” he added, referring to the first allegation against the nominee that will be the subject of a Thursday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Calling the opposition party “con artists,” Trump said nothing would “change any of the Democrats’ minds.”

Watch — Trump on Believing Kavanaugh Allegations: ‘I Have to Watch Tomorrow’

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“They’ve destroyed a man’s reputation, and they want to destroy it even more,” he said. “They know it’s a big, fat con job. They go into a room and I guarantee you they life like hell.”

And for the second time Wednesday, he refused during the press conference to say if he thinks Kavanaugh’s three accusers are lying. 

Trump said “it’s possible” that after hearing Christine Blasey Ford’s account on Thursday, he could change his mind and withdraw the nomination.

But he also appeared to think all three women would be testifying Thursday. Only Ford is slated to appear.

“I’m going to see what’s said. I’m going to be watching,” Trump said, adding he realizes the accuser may appear credible.

The president was asked by multiple reporters why he typically sides with men over women accusing them of sexual misconduct. “I knew these people for a long time,” he said of Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly and others. “I never saw them do anything wrong.”

“If I thought he was guilty of something like this, yeah, sure,” the president said when asked pointedly if there is any scenario under which he would pull Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Trump, when asked about sexual misconduct allegations against him, said he has had “many false charges.” He said accusers often want money and fame.

When asked if he intends to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein during a planned Thursday meeting, he said, “I would certainly prefer not doing that.”

“My preference would be keeping him,” Trump said, announcing he may delay the Rosenstein meeting so it does not take away from the Kavanaugh-Ford hearing.

Asked what message he would send to young men ahead of that hearing, the president issued a warning to America’s males.

“It’s a very dangerous period in our country,” he said, adding that it was “being perpetrated by some very evil people.”

“In this case, you’re guilty until proven innocent. I think that is a very dangerous standard for our country,” Trump said. He said the allegations Kavanaugh is facing are ones “that nobody is going to be able to prove.”

Watch: McConnell, Schumer Floor Debate Gets Personal Over Kavanaugh Nomination

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