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Sen. Chuck Grassley said Friday that he believes George Soros could have paid the protestors who confronted Sen. Jeff Flake in an elevator with their stories of sexual assault, in order to get him to vote against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

“I have heard so many people believe that. I tend to believe it,” the Iowa senator said in response to his thoughts on the Soros rumor in an interview with Fox News. “It fits in his attack mode and how he uses his billions and billions of resources.”

Trump tweeted his accusation of the Jewish investor and philanthropist 80 minutes after the interview aired, Washington Examiner editor Dave Brown noted.

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Maria Bartiromo asked Chuck Grassley this morning if he thinks George Soros is paying the elevator protesters. “I have heard so many people believe that. I tend to believe it,” Grassley said. Trump tweeted the accusation about 80 minutes later pic.twitter.com/az8QtMZwma

— Dave Brown (@dave_brown24) October 5, 2018

Trump asked his followers to “look at all of the professionally made identical signs. Paid for by Soros and others.”

He continued: “These are not signs made in the basement from love!”

The protestors in the elevator, Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher, marched to Flake’s office on Sept. 28 after they saw his statement of support for Kavanaugh. The day before, Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school, read her emotional testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Archila is the co-executive director of Make the Road New York and executive director of Make the Road Action Fund, according to her Twitter bio. Soros’s son, Alex, has supported Make the Road New York, which advocates for Latino and working class communities.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

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