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President feels 'terribly' for Judge Kavanaugh

Posted at 1:55 PM, Sep 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-18 15:27:52-04

WASHINGTON (AP) --  President Donald Trump says he feels "terribly" for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as he faces a decades-old accusation of sexual assault. Trump says the judge "is not a man that deserves this."

Trump spoke Tuesday at a joint press conference with the president of Poland. He praised Kavanaugh, saying he was "at a level that we rarely see," but said he supported a review process in the Senate.

Kavanaugh's nomination has been threatened by a woman's allegation that he sexually assaulted her when they were high schoolers. He has denied the charge.

Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasely Ford, have both been asked to testify Monday, but it is not clear if Ford will appear.

Trump says he feels "terribly" for Kavanaugh, his wife "and for his beautiful young daughters."

On a separate matter, the president of Poland is telling President Trump that he'd like the U.S. to create a permanent American base in Poland that would be named Fort Trump.

Trump says that he's considering the idea and that Poland has offered more than $2 billion to the U.S. to pay for such an effort.

The comments came during the joint White House press conference by the leaders Tuesday.

Trump says they agreed to bolster defense, energy and commercial ties. And he says the alliance between the two countries has "never been stronger."

Poland has been pressing for the 3,000 U.S. troops now deployed in Poland on a rotating basis to be upgraded to a larger, permanent presence as it faces Russia's increased military activity in the region.