The Associated Press has learned that Vice President Mike Pence has met with some of the contenders for the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement.
According to a person familiar with the search process, the meetings took place in recent days.
The person did not specify which candidates Pence met with and spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday to describe the private search process.
President Donald Trump has spoken with seven potential candidates and is set to announce his decision on Monday.
Trump has said he’ll choose his nominee from a list of 25 candidates vetted by conservative groups. Top contenders include federal appeals judges Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge, Amul Thapar and Amy Coney Barrett.
Kavanaugh is getting some resistance from Republican Sen. Rand Paul.
A person familiar with the Kentucky senator’s call says Paul has told colleagues that he may not vote for Kavanaugh, citing Kavanaugh’s role during the Bush administration on cases involving executive privilege and the disclosure of documents to Congress.
The person spoke about Paul’s views on condition of anonymity.
Paul’s objections echo those made by outside conservative groups over Kavanaugh, who is seen by some as to much an establishment-aligned choice.
