Kavanaugh says he's victim of 'revenge on behalf of the Clintons'

US President Donald Trump’s embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has accused Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee of launching a smear campaign to tarnish his reputation and sink his confirmation in revenge for their bruising defeat in the 2016 presidential election.

During an emotional and aggressive opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his confirmation, Kavanaugh called Democratic opposition to his nomination "revenge on behalf of the Clintons," referring to 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

"This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election. Fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons, and millions of dollars in money from outside, left-wing opposition groups," Kavanaugh said during his opening remarks before the panel.

"This is a circus," Kavanaugh said with urgency. "The consequences will extend long past my nomination; the consequences will be with us for decades." 

The 53-year-old Supreme Court nominee also targeted Democrats who had openly opposed him and blamed them for destroying his family.

Kavanaugh stands accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford during a violent encounter at a high school party back in the 1980s when she was 15 and he was 17.

Kavanaugh "categorically and unequivocally" denied Ford's claim during his testimony on Thursday.

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Thousands rallied across the United States in solidarity with the female university professor on Friday, with reports saying that police in Washington had arrested nearly 60 people protesting against the nomination of Kavanaugh to the country’s Supreme Court.

Kavanaugh is also facing similar accusations from Deborah Ramirez, who charges the top judge once exposed himself to her at a drunken dormitory party and forced her to touch his genitals in the 1983-84 academic school year, when he was a freshman at Yale University.

He has denied claims by Ramirez, expressing his readiness to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee to save his reputation.

Trump has reiterated support for Kavanaugh and denounced sexual misconduct allegations against the judge as a “con game” being played by Democrats. However, he has also indicated that he may withdraw his nomination based on the testimonies about Kavanaugh's sexual allegations.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Kavanaugh's nomination to the country's highest court as early as Friday.

The vote, which has engaged Americans and intensified the political polarization in the United States, occurs amid the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault.

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