GOPers Relieved That McConnell, Not Trump, Is Handling Kavanaugh Matters

Judge Brett Kavanaugh poses for photographs with Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) before a meeting in McConnell's office in the U.S. Capitol July 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to succeed retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 10: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (L) makes brief remarks before meeting with Judge Brett Kavanaugh in McConnell's office in the U.S. Capitol July 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. U.... WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 10: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (L) makes brief remarks before meeting with Judge Brett Kavanaugh in McConnell's office in the U.S. Capitol July 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to succeed retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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President Donald Trump has refrained from personally calling and pressuring senators on their vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, leaving the behind-the-scenes machinations to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — to the intense relief of the Republicans.

According to a Tuesday Politico report, in this regard, the Kavanaugh confirmation process mirrors that of Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch, when Republicans managed to keep the mercurial President away from the delicate negotiations that go on behind closed doors during big votes.

The time that the President reportedly involved himself most was one of his most humiliating defeats: the downfall of the Obamacare repeal.

As for McConnell, who consider his efforts at different levels of the judiciary to be his proudest accomplishment, he is projecting confidence about the confirmation, telling reporters that he believes he has the votes to get Kavanaugh on the bench.

However, not all of the process will be in McConnell’s able hands. On Thursday, Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, professor Christine Blasey Ford, will take the floor to publicly testify about their experiences. At that point, McConnell will be in the same boat as Trump — watching and waiting.

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