Watchdog groups are calling for a special prosecutor to investigate whether President Donald Trump knew about allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh before the Senate vote.
Watchdog group Judicial Watch said Tuesday it will file a lawsuit to force the Justice Department to release more documents related to the president’s knowledge about the allegations against Kavanaugh.
The group also plans to file an amicus brief on behalf of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) calling on him to recuse himself from the confirmation hearing.
“The president’s repeated failure to adequately disclose his knowledge of these allegations will further damage his presidency, and his credibility as a commander in chief,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement.
“In light of the gravity of these accusations, and the president himself’s cavalier disregard for the truth, we cannot wait to see what happens in the coming weeks.”
The groups’ statement comes as the Supreme Court debate continues over the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the nation’s highest court.
On Monday, the Supreme Council of the United States, the group representing Supreme Court justices, released a statement saying that it “cannot comment on pending litigation.”
In the wake of the Senate’s vote on Kavanaugh, the president has been asked about his knowledge about allegations of sexual misconduct against the Supreme Courts nominee.
During an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Monday, Trump said that the allegation of sexual assault made against Kavanaugh is “fake news” and that he is “very confident” he knows the accusations against him are false.
The president, however, has said that he “won’t let it affect” his job performance and said he has “a great relationship” with the judges on the Supreme court.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case on Tuesday.
The White House has yet to say whether Trump will participate in the hearing, which will be attended by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was nominated to the Supreme Law Court by President George W. Bush.
