Either outcome in the Kavanaugh fight is likely to have far-reaching impact on both the upcoming elections and the next two years of the Trump presidency, according to strategists in both parties. Kavanaugh’s confirmation could help inspire more Republicans to turn out to vote in November, but it could also motivate Democrats and alienate some female voters from the GOP for years to come. A failed nomination, meanwhile, could deeply divide the Republican coalition and suppress voter turnout.<doc-sep>“During our meal, Christine was visibly upset, so I asked her what was going on,” Gildo-Mazzon says. “Christine told me she had been having a hard day because she was thinking about an assault she experienced when she was much younger. She said that she had been almost raped by someone who was now a federal judge.”<doc-sep>President Donald Trump has suggested in his defence of embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that the #MeToo movement was “very dangerous” and unfairly threatened an entire class of powerful men. Mr Trump's expansive argument cast doubt on the credibility not only of the three women who have accused Mr Kavanaugh of sexual assault, but also on scores of other women who have claimed sexual abuse by prominent men, including the president himself. In his rush to rescue Mr Kavanaugh's nomination, President Trump effectively sought to draw a line in the sand against the growing number of allegations against authority figures in politics, the media and business – including many, Mr Trump acknowledged, who have been his friends. Recommended Trump could withdraw Kavanaugh nomination if he believes he is guilty “When you are guilty until proven innocent, it's just not supposed to be that way,” Mr Trump told reporters. “That's a very dangerous standard for the country.” During an 81-minute news conference on Wednesday in New York, President Trump was asked whether the allegations of sexual assault or harassment brought against him by more than a dozen women – claims he denies – influenced his thinking about Mr Kavanaugh's accusers. “Absolutely,” President Trump said. “I've had a lot of false charges made against me, really false charges,” he added. “I know friends that have had false charges. People want fame. They want money. They want whatever. So when I see it, I view it differently then somebody sitting home watching television, where they say, 'Oh, Judge Kavanaugh this or that.' It's happened to me many times.” In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images On the evening of Thursday's high-stakes Senate hearing that likely will determine whether Mr Kavanaugh is confirmed to the high court, President Trump appointed himself the judge's principal character witness. The president said he stood by Mr Kavanaugh, but also left open the possibility of withdrawing his nomination if he is persuaded of the judge's guilt after watching Thursday's testimony from him and his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. Some of the first cracks in confidence emerged inside the White House on Wednesday as a third woman came forward alleging Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, with growing worries that the nomination might go down. But there was also a hardening resolve to press forward and fight back once attorney Michael Avenatti – who represents President Trump accuser Stormy Daniels and is toying with a 2020 presidential run – entered the fray on Wednesday representing the latest Kavanaugh accuser. President Trump and his advisers and allies expressed genuine anxiety about the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday. Aides found it difficult to mobilise surrogates – especially female high school friends and other women who know Mr Kavanaugh personally – to blanket the airwaves defending the judge's character. The president has acknowledged uncertainty about how the hearing would go and how Mr Kavanaugh might be perceived, and he has begun laying the groundwork to blame Senate Republican leaders should the nomination fail, according to people who have spoken with him or have been briefed on conversations With so much in limbo, there was no grand strategy at play other than Mr Trump's call for a more forceful defence of Mr Kavanaugh. The president and his aides concluded that they have a narrowing window of time during which to push Mr Kavanaugh through before his nomination becomes even more tainted. Mr Trump is confronting both his own personal grievances with the #MeToo reckoning and his responsibilities as leader of the Republican Party, whose congressional majorities are at risk six weeks from now in the midterm elections. Aides have said President Trump feels vindicated politically on this issue because he was elected despite the “Access Hollywood” recording in which he bragged to Billy Bush about grabbing women by their genitals. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Democratic attacks on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh over allegations of sexual misconduct were "disgraceful," and would backfire on the party in November. "If the Democrats are playing this game that is disgraceful. It is a disgrace to the country. And I think you are going to see it in the midterms," Trump said in New York, where he was meeting with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe during the United Nations General Assembly. "I think people are wise, too. It is a just con game. [Kavanaugh] is a high quality person. They are bringing people out of the woods. And they could do that to anybody." Trump, along with some other Republicans, also zeroed in Wednesday on lawyer Michael Avenatti, who represents both Stormy Daniels — who has said she was paid to remain silence about an affair with Trump before he became president — and Julie Swetnick, the latest woman to come forward accusing Kavanaugh of misconduct. "If you look at this lawyer that just came out, he is a low life," Trump said of Avenatti. "He represented Democrats. Nobody ever talks about that. He’s a Democrat lawyer. Not a very good one, but he’s a Democrat lawyer." Kavanaugh, said Trump, would be one of the "greatest ever" Supreme Court justices. "He's a young man, and he will be there for a long time," said Trump. "And I’ll be very proud of him ..." On Twitter, he called Avenatti "a third rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations, like he did on me and like he is now doing on Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He is just looking for attention and doesn’t want people to look at his past record and relationships — a total low-life!" The comments came just a day ahead of a long-awaited hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee involving Kavanaugh and another accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, a California college professor. On Thursday morning, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders blasted Democrats for not having brought the allegations forward earlier. "I don't question the story, but I certainly question the tactics," Sanders said. "Democrats have known about this ... why didn't they bring this up during Kavanaugh's hearing?" "It’s because they want to play political games," she added. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., meanwhile, echoed Trump's attack on Avenatti. “From my view, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it just did. The lawyer to porn stars has just taken this debacle to an even lower level," Graham said in a statement, adding that he hoped people would be "highly suspicious" of the "outrageous, internally inconsistent" affidavit. “[Kavanaugh] is a decent man who has lived an honorable life and is being smeared by the likes of Michael Avenatti," said Graham. “I very much believe in allowing people to be heard. But I am not going to be played, and I’m not going to have my intelligence insulted by the Michael Avenattis of the world. I will not be a participant in wholesale character assassination that defies credibility." Meanwhile, Senate Democrats on Wednesday urged President Donald Trump to withdraw Kavanaugh's nomination. In a letter, all 10 Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee called on Trump to either withdraw Kavanaugh from consideration, or order an FBI investigation "into all allegations." "The standard of character and fitness for a position on the nation's highest court must be higher than this. Judge Kavanaugh has staunchly declared his respect for women and issued blanket denials of any possible misconduct, but those declarations are in serious doubt," the lawmakers wrote. Moments after the allegations — which NBC News has not independently verified and were firmly denied by Kavanaugh — were made public, Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Kavanaugh should step aside. He also implored Republicans to "immediately suspend the proceedings related to" the judge's nomination. “I strongly believe Judge Kavanaugh should withdraw from consideration. If he will not, at the very least, the hearing and vote should be postponed while the FBI investigates all of these allegations,” Schumer said. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said he was planning to file a lawsuit to halt Kavanaugh's confirmation process "due to unconstitutional presidential interference."