Trump rallies in Nevada amid Supreme Court flurry: ‘We’re gonna get Brett’

President Trump on Thursday night expressed optimism that his nominee Brett Kavanaugh would get confirmed to the Supreme Court despite a flurry of action over a sexual assault allegation.

“I want to tell you that Brett Kavanaugh is one of the finest human beings you will ever have the privilege of knowing or meeting,” Trump said during a rally in Las Vegas to boost Republican candidates running in the November midterm elections.

“A great intellect, a great gentleman, an impeccable reputation,” Trump continued. “So we’ll let it play out and I think everything will be just fine. This is a high quality person.” 

“We just got Neil Gorsuch,” Trump told the crowd, referring to his first nominee who was confirmed to the Supreme Court last year. “We’re gonna get Brett.”

{mosads}Kavanaugh’s seemingly smooth path to a confirmation vote was derailed this week after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford went public with allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party in the 1980s.

Kavanaugh has flatly denied the allegations, which have forced the Senate Judiciary Committee to delay its vote to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full chamber for approval.

Republicans and Democrats on the panel are hoping to speak with Ford and Kavanaugh about the allegations in a hearing next week. Democrats are also pressuring the FBI to reopen its background check investigation on Kavanaugh, something Republicans have pushed back on.

Lawyers for Ford on Thursday evening proposed having the Palo Alto University professor testify next Thursday after Kavanaugh, saying Ford also does not want him in the room for her testimony and she wants to only questioned by committee members, not outside counsel.

Trump late Thursday expressed frustration with the delayed process, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity in Las Vegas, “I don’t think you can delay it any longer.”

“They have to get on with it,” Trump said of the Judiciary Committee.

Trump has said that Ford should tell her story, reiterating to Fox: “Let her say what she has to say and let’s see how it all comes out.”

Ford initially expressed openness to publicly testifying Monday, but walked that back and said she wanted the FBI to investigate her claims first.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Thursday shows the allegations have taken a hit, as Kavanaugh’s backing among registered voters is now underwater at 34-38 percent in support of his confirmation.

Trump’s comments Thursday night came as he rallied in Nevada on behalf of Sen. Dean Heller, one of the most vulnerable Republicans up for reelection this year.

During the rally, Trump also criticized the “fake news media,” a favorite target of his, as an organ of the Democratic Party.

“The Democrat Party, their best ally, is those people right there,” he said, gesturing to the media. “I can’t tell you how dishonest and corrupt so much of the media is…Impossible to explain, nobody would believe it.” 

The crowd cheered with the familiar phrases “CNN sucks” and “lock her up,” referring to Hillary Clinton, Trump’s 2016 rival.

Trump also lamented the lack of progress on building a wall between the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Unfortunately, sadly, because of the Democrats, only $1.6 billion was just approved. I’m not thrilled, but after the election they’re all telling me we’re getting our wall the way we wanted…We could knock that wall out in one year if they gave us the funds,” he added. 

Trump will hold another campaign rally in Missouri on Friday for Republican state Attorney General Josh Hawley, who is running against Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).