CNN's Ana Navarro corners Kavanaugh defender: 'Is sexual assault disqualifying?'

Former South Carolina lieutenant governor turned CNN contributor Andre Bauer found himself on the wrong side of Ana Navarro, when he tried to defend Republican handling of the sexual assault accusations facing Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Accuser Christine Ford has said she wants the FBI to investigate those charges -as it did when Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas was similarly accused by Anita Hill- but so far Republicans on the Senate Judiciary committee have refused to do so.

"You have a stepdaughter," host Brooke Baldwin asked Bauer. "How would you feel if this is how she was treated?"

Bauer responded by misrepresenting how the allegations were brought to light, placing the blame for Mr. Kavanaugh's problems on Senator Dianne Feinstein. That was immediately smacked down by host Brooke Baldwin. "She was asked not to," Baldwin reminded him. "Let's always remember, Professor Ford didn't want to come forward, and [Feinstein] was respecting her wishes."

Bauer tried another tactic: attacking Ms. Ford. "It's very clouded, her memory or anyone else's memory of this," he said, without providing evidence. "I hate to make it more partisan, but everybody wants to give her the benefit of the doubt and they say, 'look, come before Congress. We'll come to you. Let's get the facts.'"

But while Bauer claimed to want to get to the truth of the allegations, he also saw no need for an actual investigation to determine that truth. That did not go over well with a visibly irritated Navarro, who earlier in the interview said Kavanaugh himself should be clamoring for the FBI to clear "the taint of suspicion above him."

"If at 17 years of age and drunk he sexually assaulted this woman, is it disqualifying to sit on the Supreme Court?" she asked Bauer.

Bauer, already in a hole, seemed determined to keep digging. "It is definitely a question," he said. "But Ana, my understanding, and I could be wrong, my understanding is he never sexually assaulted her. my understanding is her accusation is, he made an attempt to grab a garment she was wearing and pull it off of her--"

"With a hand on her mouth, she felt that her life was at stake, she felt that she was sexually harassed," objected Baldwin. "He was too drunk, according to her, you know, thank goodness, to do anything more."

Watch the video below.