Trump cites the 'trauma' of the FBI investigation on Kavanaugh and his family

President Trump on Monday said he isn’t limiting the scope of the FBI’s investigation into sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh and would be open to the bureau questioning all three of the Supreme Court nominee’s public accusers. But the president also said he wants the probe done quickly to limit the “trauma” to Kavanaugh and his family.

“I want them to do a very comprehensive investigation,” Trump said in during a Rose Garden press conference that was meant to tout a newly signed trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. “I want it to be comprehensive. I actually think it’s a good thing for Judge Kavanaugh. I think it’s actually a good thing, not a bad thing. I think it’s a good thing.”

“Now, with that being said, I’d like it to go quickly,” the president continued. “And the reason I’d like it to go quickly is quickly is simple. It’s very simple. It’s unfair to him. What his wife is going through. What his beautiful children are going through is not describable. It’s not describable. It’s not fair.”

Trump said it would be fair to scrutinize him, not Kavanaugh, because it’s “part of my job description to handle this crap.”

Trump, though, said nothing about the trauma inflicted on Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez or Julie Swetnick, the three women who have publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Instead, the president cast fresh doubt on the veracity of their allegations. And the president did not mention their names.

“Certainly, we gave the doctor a tremendous time, which is great,” Trump said of Ford, who testified that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party in suburban Maryland when they were teenagers.

“She spoke well,” the president said. “But, you know, there are some questions that haven’t been answered, like: what year was it? What day was it? Where was it? What’s the location? A lot of people are saying, ‘What’s going on?’ With all of that, you cannot say we’ve done anything but be respectful.”

According to multiple reports, the FBI has spoken with Ramirez, who alleged that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party at Yale, but not Swetnick, who says she attended more than 10 parties in the early 1980s where Kavanaugh and his friend, Mark Judge, were present. Swetnick said she was a victim of “gang rape” at one of the parties. At another, she said she witnessed Kavanaugh and Judge in a line outside a room “waiting for their ‘turn’ with a girl inside.”

The president was asked if he believes the FBI should interview all three women.

“It wouldn’t bother me at all,” Trump said, before adding: “Now it depends; I don’t know all three of the accusers. Certainly, I would imagine, they’re going to interview two. The third one I don’t know much about. But it wouldn’t bother me at all.”

But Trump couldn’t resist the urge to knock Swetnick, who is being represented by Stormy Daniels’s attorney — and noted Trump antagonist — Michael Avenatti.

“I’ve heard that the third one has — I have no idea if this is true — has very little credibility,” the president said.

Trump also saw fit to cast aspersions on one of the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Without naming the senator, Trump said he or she had been in a “somewhat compromising” position in the past.

“I’ve seen that person in very bad situations,” the president said.

Since Thursday’s hearing, critics have questioned Kavanaugh’s repeated assertions that while he enjoyed drinking in high school and college, he rarely drank to excess. Trump, though, seemed to hear the opposite.

“I watched that hearing, and I watched the man saying he did have difficulty as a young man with drinking,” the president said. “I believe he was very strong on the fact that he drank a lot, so I don’t see where there would be a big discrepancy.”

“I was surprised at how vocal he was about the fact that he’s likes beer and he’s had a little bit of difficulty,” Trump continued. “He talked about things that happened when he drank.”

Trump was asked if he would pull the nomination if Kavanaugh was found to have lied about his drinking habits to Congress.

“I don’t think he did,” Trump replied.

Trump, a known teetotaler, then mused about what his life would’ve been like if he weren’t one.

“I can honestly say I’ve never had a beer in my life,” the president continued. “I’ve never had alcohol, for whatever reason. Can you imagine if I had what a mess I’d be?”

At the start of Monday’s event, Trump bristled at the number of questions from reporters about Kavanaugh and the FBI investigation.

“What does that have to do with trade?” Trump said when he was asked by ABC’s Cecile Vega about the FBI probe, telling her he’d take questions on Kavanaugh after those about the pact.

As the Kavanaugh questions kept coming, Trump’s irritation grew, until he refused to take a follow-up on his Supreme Court nominee from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

“Hey, you’ve had enough,” the president said.

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Read more from Yahoo News:

• Kavanaugh’s fate now rests with Flake, Murkowski and Collins

• Accelerated FBI probe could lead to Kavanaugh confirmation vote this week

• Trump says Kavanaugh should have been ‘pushed through’ two weeks ago

• Was Kavanaugh saved when the GOP abandoned its ‘female assistant’?

• Whatever happens, Trump has already made 2018 the Year of the Woman