Trump: I would have preferred the Senate move ‘a lot faster’ to confirm Kavanaugh

President Trump on Wednesday said he would have liked the Senate to have confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court before the sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against the judge.

“They could’ve pushed it through 2 1/2 weeks ago, and you wouldn’t be talking about it right now, which is frankly what I would’ve preferred, but they didn’t do that,” the president said at the United Nations in New York.

Trump called Kavanaugh “an absolute gem” who has been unfairly maligned by a “con game” being played by Democrats.

{mosads}“The Republicans could not be nicer, could not be more respectful to the process, certainly could not be more respectful to the woman, and I’m OK with that,” the president told reporters, before reiterating that his preference would have been to move “a lot faster” to confirm Kavanaugh.

Trump’s remarks come one day before Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, are set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegation that the judge pinned her to a bed and groped her during a high school party in 1982.

Her allegation surfaced a few days after the committee completed its confirmation hearings with Kavanaugh. The panel had been set to vote on his nomination but postponed the vote following Ford’s accusation.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has tentatively scheduled a vote for Friday on whether to send Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

The president’s latest comments on Kavanaugh’s confirmation process stand in sharp contrast to his initial reaction to Ford’s public allegation.

“If it takes a little delay it’ll take a little delay,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Sept. 17. “I’m sure it will work out very well.”

Updated at 10:13 a.m.