Trump praises McConnell's role in battle over Kavanaugh

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — President Donald Trump heaped praise today on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, crediting the veteran Kentucky lawmaker's political toughness and acumen during the ugly battle that concluded with Brett Kavanaugh becoming a Supreme Court justice.

"He's Kentucky tough," Trump declared.

Justice Kavanaugh took his seat on the high court this week after overcoming allegations of sexual misconduct dating to his high school and college years. He forcefully denied the charges, and Trump and McConnell firmly backed Kavanaugh as part of their combined quest to populate the judiciary with conservative judges. The newest justice could tilt the political balance of the high court in the conservative direction for generations to come.

"We stuck with him all the way because we knew the facts," Trump said, speaking of himself and McConnell, Kentucky's senior U.S. senator.

"There's nobody tougher. There's nobody smarter. He refused to cave to the radical Democrats' shameful campaign of personal and political destruction," Trump said at a political rally at Eastern Kentucky University before he called McConnell to the mic.

"He stared down the angry left-wing mob. He never blinked and he never looked back and he got us a man who will be one of our great, great Supreme Court justices," Trump said.

McConnell returned the compliment and told the president to continue nominating judges and "we'll keep confirming them."

Democrats fiercely and vocally opposed Kavanaugh, opposition that hardened after Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. Other women accused him of other sexually inappropriate behavior.

Protesters swarmed Senate office buildings and hundreds were arrested in a futile attempt to intimidate a handful of holdout senators into voting against confirming Kavanaugh. Trump has taken to referring to Democrats who opposed Kavanaugh as an angry "mob."