President Donald Trump on Monday scolded Senate Democrats for their treatment of newly sworn-in Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during the confirmation process, saying it was "one of the most disgraceful performances" he has ever seen.
Trump was walking outside the White House when he was asked about Kavanaugh, who was confirmed to the Supreme Court by the Senate on Saturday and was sworn in on Sunday by Chief Justice John Roberts. It is unclear what he was asked, but he responded by blasting Senate Democrats for how they treated Kavanaugh and his family.
"I thought the way they behaved was absolutely atrocious," Trump said. "I have never seen anything like it, from the leaks of the important documents to the statements they made to watching [Sen. Richard] Blumenthal, who was a fraudster for what he did in Vietnam, and what he did was horrible ... The way they tortured [Kavanaugh] and his family, I thought it was a disgrace. I thought it was one of the most disgraceful performances I've ever seen."
He later addressed rumors Democrats might try to impeach Kavanaugh if they take back control of Congress next month, calling the idea "an insult to the American public."
"I think you are going to see a lot of things happen on November 6 that would not have happened before. The American public has seen this charade, has seen this dishonesty by the Democrats," Trump said. "When you mention 'impeach' a justice of the United States Supreme Court, who was a top scholar, top student, top intellect and who did nothing wrong ... It was all made-up, it was fabricated, and it's a disgrace. And I think it's gonna really show you something come November 6."
While House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said recently that House Democrats are "not about impeachment" when discussing Kavanaugh, HuffPost recently reported that at least seven of the 17 Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have publicly supported an investigation to see if Kavanaugh should be impeached if the party takes back control of the House.
Trump wrapped up the impromptu press conference Monday by predicting many Democrats will vote Republican in 2018 because he believes the Democratic base has shifted farther to the left. He said the United States would "end up being Venezuela" if Democrats took control of Congress.
In a close vote on Saturday, the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court 50-48.