One day after Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to a lifetime appointment on the United States Supreme Court, President Donald Trump offered an extraordinary declaration about the sexual-assault allegation that had nearly derailed his nominee.
Trump said he was “100 percent” certain Christine Blasey Ford had accused the wrong man.
The certainty was striking because Ford had used almost exactly the same language when testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Asked under oath how certain she was that Kavanaugh was the person who assaulted her when they were teenagers, Ford answered:
“100 percent.”
Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegation.
And now the president was effectively declaring that one of them was unquestionably wrong.
Ford Accuses Kavanaugh
Ford alleged that during a gathering in Maryland in the early 1980s, a teenage Kavanaugh forced her onto a bed, groped her and attempted to remove her clothing while his friend Mark Judge was in the room.
Ford testified that Kavanaugh covered her mouth when she tried to scream and that she feared he might accidentally kill her.
Kavanaugh denied the accusation.
“I have never sexually assaulted anyone,” he told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The allegation transformed what had already been a contentious Supreme Court confirmation into a national debate over sexual assault, memory, credibility and the treatment of women who come forward with allegations against powerful men.
Other allegations of sexual misconduct were also made against Kavanaugh during the confirmation process. He denied them.
Trump Initially Calls Ford “Credible”
Trump's public treatment of Ford changed significantly during the confirmation battle.
Immediately following Ford's September 27 testimony, Trump described her appearance before the Senate as compelling.
“I thought her testimony was very compelling,” Trump said.
He also called Ford a “very credible witness.”
But only days later, Trump took a dramatically different approach.
At an October 2 campaign rally in Mississippi, the president mocked Ford's inability to remember certain details surrounding the alleged assault.
Trump portrayed her as unable to remember basic facts about the incident.
Fact-checkers noted that several of Trump's characterizations were inaccurate. Ford had provided details including the approximate year, the location inside the house and the general area where she said the gathering occurred.
“100 Percent” Certain
By October 7, Trump's position had hardened considerably.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to a campaign rally, Trump said he had no doubt Kavanaugh had been falsely accused.
“This is one of the reasons I chose him is because there is no one with a squeaky clean past like Brett Kavanaugh,” Trump said.
He described Kavanaugh as an “outstanding person.”
Asked whether Ford had simply identified the wrong individual, Trump said he was “100 percent” certain.
It created a remarkable contrast.
Ford had testified under oath that she was 100 percent certain Kavanaugh assaulted her.
Trump — who was not present at the alleged incident — was now saying he was 100 percent certain she was wrong.
A Limited FBI Investigation
The controversy prompted Trump to authorize a supplemental FBI background investigation before the Senate's final vote.
The FBI contacted witnesses connected to allegations made by Ford and another accuser, Deborah Ramirez.
Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee said the supplemental investigation found no corroboration for the allegations.
But the investigation itself became controversial.
Ford was not interviewed by the FBI during the supplemental investigation.
Her attorneys complained that investigators had also failed to contact additional people they said possessed relevant information.
The investigation therefore did not establish that Kavanaugh committed the assault Ford described.
Nor did it establish that Ford deliberately fabricated her allegation.
Kavanaugh continued to deny wrongdoing.
Kavanaugh Is Confirmed
On October 6, the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh by a vote of 50-48.
Trump celebrated.
The confirmation secured another conservative seat on the Supreme Court and represented one of the most consequential achievements of Trump's first term.
But the allegations that nearly stopped Kavanaugh's confirmation remained unresolved in the eyes of much of the country.
There had been emotional sworn testimony from Ford.
There had been an equally emphatic denial from Kavanaugh.
There had been a hurried supplemental FBI investigation conducted under intense political pressure.
And there had been a president who first described Ford as credible, then mocked her testimony, and finally announced that he possessed absolute certainty about an event he had not witnessed.
On October 7, 2018, Trump left no ambiguity about whose account he had chosen to believe.
Christine Blasey Ford said she was “100 percent” certain Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her.
Donald Trump said he was “100 percent” certain she was wrong.