WASHINGTON (AP) -- Juggling a suddenly hot-potato Supreme Court nomination and midterm-election jousting, President Donald Trump flubbed facts across a broad front over the past week.
His comments about nominee Brett Kavanaugh's accuser betrayed a misunderstanding of how the process works. His claim to be in the league of George Washington when it comes to placing judges on the bench is refuted by the record. His statements that the economy has never been better ignore the bad mixed in with the good. His boast about moderation in "Obamacare" premiums overlooks reasons why.
A look at recent rhetoric and the reality behind it:
KAVANAUGH
TRUMP, on Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party in the 1980s: "The radical left lawyers want the FBI to get involved NOW. Why didn't someone call the FBI 36 years ago?" — tweet Friday.
THE FACTS: The FBI would not have been the number to call. The behavior alleged by Ford is not a federal crime but one that might have been investigated by local authorities if reported. She said he pinned her on a bed and tried taking off her clothes during a high school party in Maryland in the 1980s; Kavanaugh denies the allegations.
Democrats want the FBI to get involved now because the bureau conducts background checks on presidential nominees. The FBI background check of Kavanaugh was completed before the allegations emerged. Democrats and various advocates, not just "radical left lawyers," want the FBI to reopen its investigation in light of the accusation. The FBI can only do so if the White House requests that step.
Trump is trying to cast suspicion on Ford's credibility by questioning why the then-teenager "or her loving parents" did not go to the police "if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says," as he put it in another tweet. It has long been the norm for sexual assaults to go unreported to authorities.
A Justice Department report estimated that from 1992 to 2000, just more than one-third of rapes or attempted rapes were reported to police, only 26 percent of sexual assaults and less than 10 percent on college campuses.
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TRUMP, on Democratic calls for the FBI to reopen its background investigation: "Well, it would seem that the FBI really doesn't do that. They've investigated about six times before, and it seems that they don't do that." — remarks Wednesday.
DEMOCRATIC SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN of California: "Fact check: The FBI can investigate Dr. Blasey Ford's allegations as part of its background investigation - that is their job. To say otherwise is FALSE. It investigated Anita Hill's allegations of sexual harassment against Clarence Thomas. It should investigate this too." — tweet Tuesday.
THE FACTS: Neither Trump nor Feinstein is entirely correct.
Only the White House can order the FBI to look into the claim as part of Kavanaugh's background investigation because Ford is not accusing Kavanaugh of a federal crime.
The FBI could interview Ford, Kavanaugh and others about the allegation if Trump asked the bureau to reopen its background investigation. But Trump said the FBI has already done its work.
Each side's take on the propriety of a reopened FBI probe has political calculations. Republicans are seeking to wrap up Kavanaugh's confirmation quickly while they are still in control of the Senate, and Democrats view it as more advantageous to delay a vote until after the November elections, when they hope to gain a majority.
As for Feinstein's point that the FBI investigated Hill's accusations against Thomas, that's true but it was because Republican President George H.W. Bush asked the bureau to do so.
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ECONOMY
TRUMP: "I don't think we've ever had an economy like this." — remarks Wednesday on White House's South Lawn.
THE FACTS: The president is correct as far as that statement goes, but not entirely in the favorable ways he suggests.
It is true that the U.S. economy is relatively healthy with solid hiring gains and a strong stock market. Growth got an adrenaline boost this year because of the deficit-financed tax cuts that Trump signed into law last year. But economic growth has hardly ascended to a new peak. The 4.2 percent annual growth in the second quarter was bested twice, as recently as 2014 under President Barack Obama.
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