[ad_1]
WASHINGTON – The White House Donald Trump has sometimes struggled to control candidates for key positions in the administration, ministerial positions and even judicial appointments.
But until now, Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh has kept his image perfectly clean.
Still, this has not prevented Democrats – who, on the whole, oppose Kavanaugh's appointment for political reasons – from trying to find a coherent strategy. to oppose his appointment.
Part of Kavanaugh's past that the Democrats have evoked are his past writings on the kind of legal review that US presidents should be subject to during their tenure.
Earlier writings became a key point of the Democrats
In an article published in a 2009 legal journal, Kavanaugh wrote that former President Bill Clinton should not have been concerned about lawsuits for alleged sexual misconduct. that the country would have been better without the subsequent investigations that followed.
Kavanaugh went further, writing that "it would be appropriate for Congress to pass a law providing for any personal civil suit against presidents, such as some members of the army, to be deferred while the president is in office. function."
Democrats used these writings to note the dangers of a lawsuit or investigation before the Supreme Court with Trump regarding the investigation of the special advisor headed by the former FBI director Robert Mueller, who investigates the Trump campaign.
"It's especially a level of concern when he's going to have a sense of debt and gratitude to the president who just named him," said Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy , at Business Insider. "Given the speed with which a case can be brought before the court concerning the Mueller investigation and its consequences, I am very concerned about what he wrote."
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, former chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, added, "I think one thing that concerns me with some of his writings is that the President should not be distracted by the law Criminal or the President's Investigations.If that is the reason he was chosen, it is disturbing. "
And on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had to withdraw the candidate for Circuit Judge Ryan Bounds, as a result of issues raised by previous writings. The candidate, a US deputy US attorney, had written inflammatory things about certain races and groups while he was an undergraduate student at Stanford University.
Immediately after the Bounds nomination was withdrawn, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer e-mailed reporters attaching him to Kavanaugh.
"Republicans have simply abolished the appointment of the Bounds on the basis of his academic writings, after which, how will they claim that Justice Kavanaugh's White House documents are irrelevant to his appointment to the Supreme Court? Schumer's spokesperson, Matt House wrote: "The writings of a lower court candidate's college are relevant, but White House writings of a candidate of the Supreme Court are not? I do not think so.
While Kavanaugh's writings on presidential authority in a law journal are in no way related to race-insensitive writings in Bounds's editorials "It's something that Democrats will probably continue to argue."
Roe v. Wade
One of the most important points for the Democrats are the views of Kavanaugh (or any new candidate) on the historic decision to abort Roe v. Wade.
Kavanaugh is a textualist judge, quite in the mold of former judges like the late Antonin Scalia. Specific statements that may reflect how he might rule on a potential case about abortion are rare, but exist.
In a speech to the conservative American Enterprise Institute, Kavanaugh said, "It is fair to say that Rehnquist J. failed to convince a majority of judges in the context Abortion like Casey, but he managed to curb the general flow of free legal creation unlisted rights that were not rooted in the history and tradition of the nation. 19659002] But Kavanaugh also recognized the precedent set by Roe.
"If confirmed at the DC Circuit, I would follow Roe v. Wade faithfully and fully, "Kavanaugh told Schumer during his confirmation at the Court of Appeal in 2006." This would be a binding precedent of the Court. The Supreme Court. "
Credit Card Debt
Kavanaugh is a big fan of the Washington Nationals and has accumulated a significant amount of season tickets for the purchase of credit cards, that's only a matter of time. he has since stopped doing.
According to financial revelations, Kavanaugh's debt accumulated between $ 60,000 and $ 200,000 among three credit cards. In 2017, he had repaid enough debt not to appear on the list of new financial information, but the question remained a little stumbling block for Democrats.
Among the other personal problems for Kavanaugh, there was his boyhood behavior of the fraternity, with reports that he served as treasurer of the "Keg City Club – 100 Kegs or Bust" during his high school years.
Some groups even went after his first name, suggesting that the men named "Brett" do not understand or weigh correctly on some women's issues.
But these criticisms were largely relegated to outside groups and organizations, and are not a real problem among elected officials considering his appointment.
Kavanaugh's support has been constant
Republican support for Kavanaugh has not diminished, while the few Democrats in the fence have kept the spirit open.
GOP Senators Who Could Influence Confirmation of Kavanaugh, Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, have been relatively positive about the chances of supporting him, although there is still more time to return the decisions.
On the Democrats' side, much of the caucus continues to go through Kavanaugh's record. Joe Manchin, Senator from West Virginia, who left his options open on voting on Kavanaugh, said that there is not much democratic leadership can do to influence his vote.
"I'll be 71 in August, are you going to whip me?" Manchin told Politico. "Kiss me, you know what."
Source link
