Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) teased the hell out of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room Wednesday evening as she pressed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on whether he discussed the special counsel’s probe with anyone at the law firm of President Trump’s personal lawyer. She refused to elaborate when Kavanaugh asked her to clarify who worked there or whom she had in mind.
The exchange lasted more than five minutes — with an interruption from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) to note the abundance of law firms and their employees in D.C.
Asked whether he had conversations about Robert Mueller generally, Kavanaugh confirmed he had and pointed out that they both worked for George W. Bush administration. Kavanaugh also said that he had discussed the Mueller investigation with fellow judges and others, since it was “ongoing” and “in the news.”
Kavanaugh looked utterly confused by Harris’ line of questioning.
Harris continued to ask him specifically about any discussions with employees at Kasowitz, Benson & Torres, the firm of Trump’s personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz. Kavanaugh said he would need to see a roster of the firm or know more about her question before answering.
Harris eventually moved on without helping him on either point.
Kamala Harris gave a tour de force of questioning against Kavanaugh. He literally looked like a deer in headlights.
What she did was to put Kavanaugh in a position where he might have to recuse from any Trump related matters that come before the Supreme Court. I guarantee you that if Trump gets any inkling that Kavanaugh will recuse from a Trump related matter, he will drop him in a second. He doesn’t want to nominate someone who will do what Sessions has done. The chances of Kavanaugh not making it through this nomination process have gone up…significantly so.
By challenging Kavanaugh to directly answer whether he had spoken to anyone at Kasowitz’s firm, Senator Harris was implying that he had, because few prosecutors ever ask questions that they don’t already know the answer to. Even if she had skimpy evidence, she put him on the spot by playing her hand aggressively and he blinked.
If Kavanaugh spoke to Kasowitz’s firm, it leads one to the conclusion that he corruptly obtained Trump’s endorsement and nomination for the SCOTUS by giving Kasowitz attorneys assurances that Trump’s personal and business interests would be taken care of. Kasowitz would’ve communicated to Trump that Kavanaugh would be loyal to him, and that’s why Trump picked him.
If she exposes information to support her point and Democrats demand his recusal, that puts Kavanaugh on the spot.
Thank you for completing the circle for me. I couldn’t figure out what the implication was of her questioning, and now I get it. I hope she has something to back this up, and that they are able to draw a recusal assurance out of him. Thus far, when asked, he has declined to commit to recuse himself from Trump-related matters.
I believe there are things within the ’ committee only ’ papers —
Thanks. I hope you’re right, & I’d bet serious money you are.
She’s way too smart & too experienced for a fishing expedition.
He did not look confused. He looked evasive.