President Donald Trump, who spoke Monday evening at a swearing-in ceremony for Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the East Room of the White House, apologized to him and to his family for what he said was a Democrat-led campaign of “lies and deception” aimed to prevent him from being confirmed.
“On behalf of our nation, I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure,” Trump began his speech. “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.”
He added that in the United States, everyone should be regarded as innocent “unless and until proven guilty,” which he said was the case with Kavanaugh.
President Trump entered the event Monday night flanked by Kavanaugh and former Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, Fox News writes. He thanked top Republicans for spearheading Kavanaugh’s confirmation, paying special thanks to Maine Senator Susan Collins, whose vote helped Kavanaugh get confirmed to the Supreme Court.
“We are indebted to Susan Collins for her brave and eloquent speech,” Trump said, before expressing his gratitude for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who he maintained had done an “incredible job for the American people.”
Kavanaugh, who took the podium shortly after, acknowledged the partisan rancor that surrounded his confirmation but stressed that he took the office “with gratitude and no bitterness.”
“All nine of us revere the Constitution,” he noted, referring to the other Supreme Court justices. “The Supreme Court is an institution of law. It is not a partisan or political institution. The justices do not sit on opposite sides of the aisle. … The Supreme Court is a team of nine, and I will always be a team player on a team of nine.”
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