In the closest thing she’s had to a press briefing in nearly a month, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos to discuss the sexual assault allegations against President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. The White House, Sanders said, would be open to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing testimony from Deborah Ramirez, the second woman to come forward about Kavanaugh’s alleged sexual misconduct.
STEPHANOPOLOS: You’ve said that everybody’s voices should be heard. So does the President want Ms. Ramirez to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee as well?”
SANDERS: Certainly we would be open to that, and that process could take place on Thursday. Again, the president’s been clear: Let them speak, but let’s also let Brett Kavanaugh speak, and let’s let him tell his side of the story before we allow allegations to determine his entire future.
This has so far been the typical Republican talking point: Granting (or possibly granting) these women a perfunctory platform while working in lock step to undermine their credibility and shield Kavanaugh. But it’s also, in a pathetically low bar for what constitutes decency from the White House, the first official semblance of an invitation for Ramirez to testify.
Ramirez says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her and thrusted his penis in her face (causing her to touch it) during a party when they were students at Yale. Christine Blasey Ford is already slotted to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.