Trump apologises to Kavanaugh during swearing-in ceremony

US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has been sworn in at a White House ceremony, but not before President Donald Trump criticised Mr Kavanaugh’s opponents for a “campaign of personal destruction”.

In a ceremony that could have been a unifying moment for the nation, Mr Trump instead delivered remarks that even he acknowledged began “differently than perhaps any other event of such magnitude”.

“On behalf of our nation, I want to apologise to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure,” Mr Trump said, addressing the bitter partisan fight over Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination that became a firestorm after the emergence of sexual misconduct allegations, which Kavanaugh emphatically denied.

With all the sitting justices in attendance, along with Mr Kavanaugh’s family and top admiration officials, Mr Trump said Mr Kavanaugh had been the victim of a “campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception”.

But, he told the new justice, “You, sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent.”

Mr Kavanaugh officially became a member of the high court on Saturday and has already been at work preparing for his first day on the bench on Tuesday.

In his own remarks, Mr Kavanaugh, who has faced criticism that he appeared too politicised in his Senate testimony, tried to assure the American public that he would approach the job fairly.

He said the high court “is not a partisan or political institution” and assured he took the job with “no bitterness”.

“The Senate confirmation process was contentious and emotional. That process is over. My focus now is to be the best justice I can be,” he said.

It was the end of a deeply contentious nomination process that sparked mass protests, an FBI investigation and it comes less than a month before pivotal midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress.

Ceremonial swearing-ins are unusual for new justices.

Only Samuel Alito and Stephen Breyer participated in White House events after they had been sworn in and begun work as justices, according to the court’s records on the current crop of justices.

Mr Kavanaugh and his law clerks already have been at the Supreme Court preparing for his first day on the bench on Tuesday, when the justices will hear arguments in two cases about longer prison terms for repeat offenders.

The new justice’s four clerks all are women, the first time that has happened.

The clerks are Kim Jackson, who previously worked for Mr Kavanaugh on the federal appeals court in Washington, Shannon Grammel, Megan Lacy and Sara Nommensen.

The latter three all worked for other Republican-nominated judges. Ms Lacy had been working at the White House in support of Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination.

In his Senate testimony last month, in which he denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in high school and accused Democrats of orchestrating a partisan campaign against him, Mr Kavanaugh promised: “I’ll be the first justice in the history of the Supreme Court to have a group of all-women law clerks. That is who I am.”

Mr Trump’s ceremony speech hammered a theme he has been hitting on all week: hoping to energise Republicans by attacking Democrats for opposing Mr Kavanaugh.

Mr Kavanaugh was “caught up in a hoax that was set up by the Democrats,” Mr Trump said as he left the White House earlier in the day for a trip to Florida.

“It was all made up, it was fabricated and it’s a disgrace,” he said.

Later, in Orlando, he called Mr Kavanaugh “a flawless person” and said “evil” people had tried to derail him with “False charges” and “False accusations. Horrible statements that were totally untrue that he knew nothing about.”

“It was a disgraceful situation brought about by people that are evil. And he toughed it out,” Mr Trump said at the International Association of Chiefs of Police meeting.

The climactic 50-48 roll call vote on Saturday on Mr Kavanaugh was the closest vote to confirm a justice since 1881.

Ultimately, every Democrat voted against Mr Kavanaugh except for Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with several seats up for grabs in November.