Trump: Kavanaugh had a 'bit of difficulty' with alcohol

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US President Donald Trump defended Monday his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh but said that the appeals court judge has had a "bit of difficulty" with alcohol.

Trump called Kavanaugh's treatment unfair, days after the FBI opened a Senate-requested probe into allegations by three women that a drunken Kavanaugh sexually abused them or engaged in sexual misconduct while they were students in the 1980s.

In a White House press conference, Trump sought to excuse excessive drinking by teenagers, while going beyond Kavanaugh's testimony on his past use of alcohol to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.

"I was surprised at how vocal he was about the fact that he likes beer," the president said.

"He's had a little bit of difficulty. He talked about things that happened when he drank. This is not a man that said... he was perfect with respect to alcohol."

US President Donald Trump introduces his Supreme Court nominee judge Brett Kavanaugh (L) in the East Room at the White House in Washington, US, July 9, 2018. /VCG Photo

He also questioned why investigators needed to examine the 53-year-old Kavanaugh's high school record.

"I think it's very unfair to bring up things like this," Trump said.

"I graduated from high school, and while I did not drink, I saw a lot of people drinking," he said.

"They drink beer and go crazy, and they were in high school... Does that mean that they can't do something they want to do in their life?"

Kavanaugh's classmate: 'He has not told the truth.'

Charles Ludington, a former Yale classmate of Kavanaugh, says that the Supreme Court nominee was not being truthful when talking about his alcohol habbit during his college years to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ludington, now a professor at North Carolina State University, said he had seen Kavanaugh "staggering after excessive alcohol consumption," as BBC reported.

The professor also described Kavanaugh as "often belligerent and aggressive" when drunk.

"I can unequivocally say that in denying the possibility that he ever blacked out from drinking, and in downplaying the degree and frequency of his drinking, Brett has not told the truth."

Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies at US Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

Professor Ludington pointed out it was not the judge's drinking habits at school that worried him - it was the fact that he made questionable statements under oath.

"If he lied about his past actions on national television, and more especially while speaking under oath in front of the United States Senate, I believe those lies should have consequences," Professor Ludington said.

The professor has confirmed to NBC News that he will provide information to FBI on Monday.

Kavanaugh at hearing: 'I like beer.'

In Thursday's extraordinary hearing, Kavanaugh vehemently denied the sexual abuse allegations, and also aggressively challenged suggestions he had a drinking problem at the time.

"I drank beer with my friends. Sometimes I had too many beers," he told the panel.

"Yes, we drank beer. I liked beer. I still like beer," he said.

"If every American who drinks beer or every American who drank beer in high school is suddenly presumed guilty of sexual assault, it will be an ugly, new place in this country."

Trump meanwhile said the White House would not restrict the new FBI probe, requested by senators before they take a final vote on Kavanaugh.

"I think the FBI should do what they have to do to get to the answer," Trump said.

"I want it to be comprehensive... With that being said, I would like to go quickly," he added.

Source(s): AFP