MacArthur, Hugin rebuke Trump’s mockery of Ford

FORKED RIVER – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin and Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-Toms River) said on Wednesday that they thought it was inappropriate for President Donald Trump to mock Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, at a campaign rally the president held Tuesday night.

At a rally last night in Mississippi, Trump mocked Ford for not clearly remembering details about the night 35 years ago when she alleges Kavanaugh drunkenly pinned her down on a bed and groped her at a party.

“I think sexual misconduct is a serious issue, and we should not, in any way, belittle people who raise sexual accusations unless it’s proved false, etc.,” Hugin said. “And that’s why I’m looking to the FBI investigation. Hopefully we’ll get that result and then we can move on, but I think that it’s an important issue.”

MacArthur offered a similar rebuke of Trump.

“I didn’t think the tone was appropriate,” MacArthur said today at a press conference in Ocean County.

Like other Republicans in the state, MacArthur said he will decide on whether Kavanaugh should be confirmed after the conclusion of the FBI’s investigation into the allegations made by Ford and Deborah Ramirez, who has accused the nominee of exposing himself to her when they were students at Yale University.

That investigation is due to conclude on or before Friday, though it is unclear whether its results will be released publicly or made available only to the senators who will vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination.

“As far as the whole set of issues, I feel badly for both of them. I think they’ve both been treated badly by the Democrats,” MacArthur said, referring to Ford and Kavanaugh. “I will reserve judgement until the FBI issues its report.”

Other Republicans who are waiting for the results to see where they stand on Kavanaugh include Assemblyman Jay Webber and U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin.  Republican congressional candidate Seth Grossman is strongly backing Kavanaugh’s confirmation.