I don't think Kavanaugh lied in his testimony, says Trump

WASHINGTON: Defending the United States Supreme Court Judge Nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford, US President Donald Trump said that "he doesn't think that Kavanaugh lied in his testimony.

Addressing a press briefing over the newly-signed trilateral trade deal, United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), Trump said "Kavanaugh did not lie in his testimony under oath when questioned if he would pull the plug on his nomination if it was found otherwise.

"I don't think he lied about his drinking.I watched the testimony and I watched a man saying that he did have difficulty as a young man with drink and nobody asked if he had a problem in last 20 years," he added.

"He was very strong on the fact that he drank a lot, so I don't see where they would find a discrepancy," Trump said.

The US President further said Kavanaugh should be interviewed by the FBI if need be.

On September 28, Trump ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation into Kavanaugh over Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegation.

It also came to light on Sunday that the probe conducted by FBI is being controlled by the White House.

Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, had alleged that Kavanaugh had assaulted her during a party in the 1980s when they were both in high school. She had accused Kavanaugh of groping her and attempting to remove her clothes.

Kavanaugh, however, denied all the allegations during his testimony on Saturday, saying that his reputation and that of his family has been "totally and permanently destroyed".

(Agency inputs used)