Washington, Oct. 9 (PTI): US President Donald Trump has apologised to new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and his family for the “terrible suffering” they had to endure, saying the “fair-minded” judge deserves a “dignified evaluation” and not a campaign based on “lies and deception”.
Judge Kavanaugh, 53, was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday in a 50-48 vote following an acrimonious debate over his nomination triggered by a series of sexual assault allegations during the last phase of his confirmation process.
His confirmation is a personal political victory for Trump as the opposition Democratic party had mounted an unprecedented resistance to his nomination.
“On behalf of our nation, I want to apologise to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure,” Trump said at a White House ceremonial swearing in ceremony of Kavanaugh.
“Those who step forward to serve our country deserve a fair and dignified evaluation, not a campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception. What happened to the Kavanaugh family violates every notion of fairness, decency, and due process,” Trump said.
The ceremony was attended by Kavanaugh’s family members, other judges of the Supreme Court, top Senators, members of the Trump administration and a battery of reporters.
Kavanaugh was accused by three women of sexual misconduct, including California professor Christine Blasey Ford, who testified under oath that he assaulted her at a party when the two were in high school.
Deborah Ramirez, a medical technician, had alleged through an article that she was a victim of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh in a university dormitory.
Julie Swetnick, a web developer, was the third woman to make the sexual misconduct allegation.
Kavanaugh vehemtly denied all the allegations, saying they were “from the ‘Twilight Zone’”.
“Our country, a man or woman must always be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. And with that, I must state that you, sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent,” Trump said amidst applause from the audience.
Kavanaugh replaces Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement early this year.
Describing Kavanaugh as a man of outstanding intellect and a brilliant scholar, Trump said his credentials were unsurpassed.
