MSNBC contributor drops hammer on GOP — the party of ‘sexual assault and mistreatment of women’

A White House correspondent said the Republican Party has become associated with rape and abuse of women -- and Brett Kavanaugh is making that even more clear.

PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that GOP efforts to push Kavanaugh onto the U.S. Supreme Court, in spite of credible sexual assault allegations, will deepen the party's growing problem with women voters.

"The Republicans have an incentive to want to clear Brett Kavanaugh's name, not only because he's going to be on the Supreme Court for a lifetime appointment, but also because their party has become connected with sexual assault and the mistreatment of women," Alcindor said.

That association started at the top, with President Donald Trump, she said.

"You have to go back and think about the fact the president himself stands accused by several women of sexual abuse," Alcindor said. "You have the ('Access Hollywood') tape where he's referring to women's body parts in a derogatory way."

"Then you have the Roy Moore debacle, where now Doug Jones is a Democratic senator from Alabama because the Republicans put up someone who was banned from a mall, Roy Moore, for really stalking little girls," she added.

Republicans are rushing to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in spite of credible sexual assault allegations, and are unwilling to let the FBI investigate to determine whether those accusations are true.

"The point is that the Republicans have a messaging problem, an image problem," Alcindor said. "As we look at the future of the party more and more women will be voting, more and more women are galvanized to take it to the polls, and Republicans really need to get it together in terms of wondering whether or not they can hold on to younger women and suburban women."