NBC host Megyn Kelly blasted Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) Thursday for telling reporters that Christine Blasey Ford had corroborating witnesses for her claim Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s.
Blumenthal told reporters during a recess of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that he believed Ford over Kavanaugh because she requested an FBI probe and had witnesses who "can corroborate her story," which was false.
"She's come forward asking for an FBI investigation, with witnesses who can corroborate her story, who should be interviewed under oath," Blumenthal said. "Very few people, if any, come forward and ask for an investigation if they are failing to tell the truth when the penalty is perjury. I believe her, because she is so powerful in her demeanor, her details, her precision, and frankly, in stating what she doesn't know."
While others have given statements that Ford told them about the assault in the past few years, no witnesses from the time have emerged to directly confirm her charge, and none of the witnesses she says attended the party have said they remember it happening.
After the NBC News panel of Chuck Todd, Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie and Kelly discussed the Republican swing votes Kavanaugh needs to win confirmation, Kelly lit into Blumenthal for his language.
"If I'm not mistaken, Senator Blumenthal just said that she has witnesses who can corroborate her story. That is not true," Kelly said. "It just isn't true, and this remains one of the main problems—"
Guthrie interrupted to say Blumenthal may have added some "weasel words" to justify the remarks, but Kelly protested that Ford could only put forward that she had told others about the alleged assault decades later.
Todd said Democrats still needed to defend their conduct with regards to leaking her name to the press and waiting so long to come forward with Ford's accusation.
Ford concluded several hours of testimony early Thursday afternoon, where she emotionally recounted the assault and said she was "100 percent" sure Kavanaugh did it. Kavanaugh has denied the claim and will testify on Thursday in his defense.