Hillary Clinton addressed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's alleged sexual misconduct Tuesday at the Atlantic Festival in Washington, D.C., saying she found his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, very credible. "You have to ask yourself, Why would anybody put themselves through this if they did not believe that they had important information to convey to the Senate?" the former secretary of state said. "She basically said that she thought it was her civic duty. I found her willingness to say 'I don't remember that, but I remember this' to be very convincing. And I felt a great swell of pride that she would be willing to put herself out there under these circumstances." At a Senate hearing investigating claims of Kavanaugh's sexual assault Thursday, the judge blamed the Clinton family for his situation. During his emotional opening remarks, he called the hearing a "calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election, fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups." Hillary laughed at the idea that anyone was seeking revenge on behalf of her and her family. "I mean, really, yes, it deserves a lot of laughter," she said. Clinton said she wasn't watching when Kavanaugh made the comments about her family, but that she heard about it later. "Look, I thought it was just part of his very defensive and unconvincing presentation. And I told someone later, 'Boy, I tell you, they give us a lot of credit,'" she told a crowd to more laughter. "Thirty-six years ago, we started this against him, in high school apparently," she joked. Kavanaugh worked closely with Ken Starr, special counsel on the Whitewater Investigation which exposed President Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky and eventually led to the former president's impeachment trial. "I want the FBI to conduct as through an investigation as they possibly can within whatever restraints are imposed upon them," she continued. "But I think for anyone who believes there is such a thing as a judicial temperament and that we want judges, particularly those on our highest court, to approach issues and plaintiffs and defendants with a sense of fairness, that there's a lot to be concerned about." Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy called Kavanaugh's accusations "conspiratorial madness," and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said, "This 'lock her up' grace note in Judge Kavanaugh's remarks may have raised a cheer in the White House, but it was a sad moment in the history of this committee." CNN reported that President Donald Trump approved of Kavanaugh's Clinton comment. Kavanaugh has been accused by three women, Ford, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, of committing sexual misconduct while he was in high school or college. Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, testified to Senate Thursday morning. The Palo Alto University professor told the Senate Judiciary Committee that she most clearly remembered Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge's laughter on the night of her alleged assault in 1982. "The uproarious laughter between the two" was still vivid in her mind, she said. "And their having fun at my expense. I was underneath one of them as they laughed, two friends having a really good time with one another." After much debate, the Senate called for a one-week FBI investigation Friday afternoon before a formal vote for Kavanaugh's Supreme Court appointment is conducted.<doc-sep>Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonHillary Clinton takes on conspiracy theories on Borat special Top general: Russia, China will look to expand influence in Middle East as US pulls back We have a chance to halt climate change if we stop destroying carbon sinks and cut methane MORE on Tuesday burst out laughing when she was asked about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's claim that the multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him are "revenge on behalf of the Clintons." ADVERTISEMENT The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg asked Clinton about Kavanaugh's remarks at an Atlantic Festival event, drawing laughter from the audience. "It deserves a lot of laughter," Clinton said, chuckling. "I thought it was just part of the whole of his very defensive and unconvincing presentation." "I told someone later — they give us a lot of credit," she added. "Thirty-six years ago, we started this against him?" Clinton was first lady when her husband, former President Bill Clinton William (Bill) Jefferson ClintonContent of Biden's agenda trumps Republican complaints about process Marjorie Taylor Greene, Robert Reich trade barbs on Twitter Republicans lose patience with Arizona election audit MORE, was impeached after lying under oath about having "sexual relations" with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Kavanaugh, during his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, denied the three sexual assault allegations that have been brought against him publicly. "This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE and the 2016 election … revenge on behalf of the Clintons and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups," Kavanaugh said, visibly seething.<doc-sep>Steven Strauss Opinion columnist For those too young to remember (or who’ve blocked out the memory of this national embarrassment), President Bill Clinton (Yale Law, Class of 1973) had a tortured relationship with the truth. For example, when Paula Jones sued Clinton in a sexual harassment case, Clinton’s testimony under oath was at best disingenuous and at worst perjury. Clinton had to pay a fine and was barred from practicing law for a minimum of five years due to his lack of candor. Without admitting anything, Clinton paid Jones about $850,000 to settle her claims. Notably, the Clintons and their supporters said the ruckus about Clinton’s actions was some vast right-wing conspiracy. In my opinion, he should have resigned or been removed from office — and perhaps spent a couple of months in prison — for his unwillingness to tell the truth under oath. Now, as evidence that God exists and has a sense of humor, Judge Brett Kavanaugh (one of Clinton’s prosecutors and Yale Law, Class of 1990) is accused of having committed sexual assault. Kavanaugh’s explanations bear a striking resemblance to Clinton’s in their evasiveness. Kavanaugh and his supporters have responded to the allegations with shrieking about vast left-wing conspiracies. Pioneers in schooling a nation on graphic sex In the Clinton era (courtesy of the Starr Report, which Kavanaugh helped draft), America got an education about various sexual positions and activities. Courtesy of Kavanaugh, our collective education about sex is continuing. We’re now learning about boofing (which Kavanaugh claims refers to flatulence, but pretty much everyone else says is anal sex) and the Devil’s Triangle (which Kavanaugh claims was a drinking game, but most people think refers to a threesome). Kavanaugh has simultaneously assured us under oath that he likes beer, drinks beer, and drank beer in high school, but only when he was legally eligible. However, Kavanaugh grew up and went to school in Maryland. As an Associated Press headline noted, “As a teen, Kavanaugh was never a legal drinker in Maryland.” Kavanaugh’s circumlocutions about drinking remind me of Clinton’s about his drug use — which finally ended with Clinton ultimately admitting he had smoked marijuana but did not inhale. Before this is over, we may yet have Kavanaugh explaining that while he swallowed beer when underage, it didn’t count as drinking — because his weak stomach always made him upchuck before he could digest any. More:A rich frat boy is crying! Are we supposed to feel sorry for Brett Kavanaugh? Let the FBI do its job. Don't make Kavanaugh investigation a fig leaf for Republicans. Even with Jeff Flake's FBI investigation, Brett Kavanaugh Is unfit to serve Kavanaugh is clearly angry about these accusations, and supporters tells us this anger is evidence of his innocence. Clinton’s supporters also believed his angry claims that he "did not have sexual relations with that woman." Clinton later explained that he didn’t consider oral sex to be sex. Kavanaugh tells us that he didn’t have sex until many years after college. A college classmate, however, says Kavanaugh told him (when they were freshmen) about losing his virginity. Maybe we’ll soon learn what sexual activities Kavanaugh excludes from his personal definition of sex. It has been suggested that Kavanaugh take a lie detector test — as one of his accusers has done. Kavanaugh pointed out, accurately, that lie detectors have a somewhat dubious scientific reputation. On the other hand, Judge Kavanaugh wrote approvingly in a court ruling of the use of lie detector tests in background investigations for federal employment. So Kavanaugh thinks polygraphs are a great tool for background checks, except when Kavanaugh’s own background is being checked. Kavanaugh doesn't need to worry Kavanaugh’s supporters fought tooth and nail to prevent any significant FBI investigation about an attempted rape allegation — and “agreed” to a one-week investigation under duress (Kavanaugh, however, spent about four years investigating Clinton). Further, Kavanaugh’s friends pressed hard to limit the scope of FBI interviews. Generally, people accused of wrongdoing don’t get this type of kid-glove treatment. Although Kavanaugh is concerned about the damage this inquiry is doing to his reputation, he should take comfort from two things. First, despite his various shenanigans, Clinton hasn’t really suffered. For example, Yale lionizes him and even brought him back as a Class Day Speaker. I expect Kavanaugh’s friends will similarly rally around him. If all else fails, Kavanaugh can get a lucrative pundit spot on Fox News (Sean Hannity makes at least $29 million a year). His Senate testimony certainly seemed like an audition for that role. Second, Kavanaugh's reputation might not be dented much, given his background. He has wealthy parents and attended an expensive prep school (annual tuition currently more than $56,000), where he was the treasurer of the “Keg City Club — 100 Kegs (of beer) or Bust." At Yale College, he pledged to a fraternity known for its party and drinking culture, and was a member of a secret society nicknamed "T-t and C--t." He found plenty of time for parties and drinking but never took a couple of years off to teach in a disadvantaged part of America or to volunteer for military service. He did nothing but focus on his career. I can honestly say the recent revelations didn’t change my opinion of Kavanaugh. He's about what I expected. Given the similarities between Clinton’s and Kavanaugh’s behavior, I wonder — does Yale Law School offer a special course in evading the truth, conspiracy-mongering and self-righteous, self-pitying hypocrisy? If so, perhaps Clinton and Kavanaugh could come back to teach a master class. Steven Strauss, a visiting professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, is a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors and has a Ph.D. in management from Yale. Follow him on Twitter: @Steven_Strauss<doc-sep>
Hillary Clinton couldn’t help but laugh when asked Tuesday about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s remarks last week, when he suggested that his embattled confirmation process had, among other things, turned into “revenge on the behalf of the Clintons.” “I thought it was just part of the whole of his very defensive and … unconvincing presentation,” Clinton said. “And I told someone later: ‘Boy, I’ll tell you, they give us a lot of credit. Thirty-six years ago we started this against him. '” Clinton’s reaction came during an interview at The Atlantic Festival in Washington, D.C.. She said Kavanaugh’s remark "deserves a lot of laughter.” Kavanaugh, who has been accused by three women of sexual misconduct, made the comments during his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. The committee also heard from his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. JULIE SWETNICK’S EX-BOYFRIEND, FORMER DEM CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE, SAYS HE DOESN’T BELIEVE HER CLAIMS “This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election, fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups,” Kavanaugh said at the time. While her husband, Bill Clinton, was president during the 1990s, Kavanaugh worked on the investigation that ultimately led to impeachment. Kavanaugh co-wrote independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s report and laid out the legal framework supporting Clinton’s impeachment for his affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky. STATE OF PLAY ON KAVANAUGH CONFIRMATION: MCCONNELL PREPARING TO HOLD VOTES The former president could have been impeached for misleading the public and lying to staff members, Kavanaugh argued at the time, according to The New York Times. However, he later wrote that he thought presidents shouldn't have to deal with criminal investigations or civil lawsuits while in office. Following her remarks Tuesday, Clinton added that Kavanaugh’s testimony could present some potential issues. “I want the FBI to conduct as thorough an investigation as they possibly can within whatever restraints are imposed upon them,” Clinton said. “But I think, for anyone who believes there’s such a thing as a judicial temperament and that we want judges, particularly those on our highest court, to approach issues, approach plaintiffs and defendants with a sense of fairness, that there’s a lot to be concerned about.” Fox News’ Nicole Darrah, Kaitlyn Schallhorn and The Associated Press contributed to this report.