Since Christine Blasey Ford came forward publicly with a sexual-assault allegation against Brett Kavanaugh, Republicans have exercised at least some caution in how they’ve phrased their dismissal of her claim. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), for example, said he believes the California professor must be “mixed up” — suggesting he sees her as confused, not dishonest.
Some prominent figures in conservative media have adopted a similar posture, arguing that Ford must be remembering her attack incorrectly.
Leave it to Donald Trump to show far less restraint. The Hill asked the president if he has “any concerns about the credibility of the accuser,” and after asking for an update on the afternoon’s developments, Trump said:
“This is no different than the Russian witch hunt, what they’ve done is they make up a lot of stuff and try and obstruct and resist.”
In context, “they” referred to Democrats.
There are a couple of relevant angles to this. The first is that the Russia scandal is quite real, and “they” haven’t made up any “stuff.”









