Kavanaugh avoids debate that could affect Trump

Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh refused on Wednesday to consider whether a sitting president could be summoned or whether presidents could dismiss prosecutors, avoiding two potential points of influence in Robert Mueller's investigation into President Donald Trump.

During the first interrogation on the second day of marathon confirmation hearings of the Kavanaugh Judiciary Committee, he told Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) That he could not answer the potential hypothesis of responding to a summons. to appear. Kavanaugh then refused to say directly whether he continued to believe that presiding officers could dismiss prosecutors conducting a criminal investigation against them, a position relevant to Trump's past threats against Mueller's work.

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"All I can say," Kavanaugh told Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), "That's what I thought in 1998."

His avoidance of thorny questions about the special advocate's investigation comes as Trump's legal team promises to fight for any possible quote from Mueller's president to the Supreme Court – where Kavanaugh could sit as early as next month.

"We are going to have moments of crisis in the Supreme Court over things we can not even predict, and we need people in the Supreme Court who are prepared for that," Kavanaugh said. Feinstein said before refusing to answer his question.

Mueller remains in talks with Trump's legal team during an interview or written answers to questions from the Special Adviser's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, including questions about whether the president has hindered justice. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said last month that he was ready to challenge any Mueller subpoena "in the Supreme Court, should it ever happen."

Kavanaugh then refused to apologize if Trump or another president could self-certify, telling Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) That it was "something I have never analyzed." to weigh definitively on the question of whether a president could offer a pardon in exchange for a promise that the recipient would not provide incriminating evidence.

Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing began on Wednesday with an overflowing tension in his early minutes. Almost immediately after Senate President Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) opened the session stating that "today is different" from Tuesday's Democrat protests against the GOP, protesters began to lash out on Tuesday. interrupt before being expelled from the audience room.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Then used an obscure procedural maneuver to force the GOP leaders to adjourn the upper chamber in order to maintain Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing. "We will not allow business to continue as usual in the Senate," Schumer said.

Inside the courtroom, Democratic Senators questioned Kavanaugh in a long-term effort to convince the handful of show-of-hands votes that remained publicly undecided to confirm. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), A minority activist in the Senate, lobbied the candidate for a dissent in which he condemned undocumented workers to unionize, while Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (DR.I) protested Obamacare for those with pre-existing conditions.

Speaking to the White House on Wednesday, Trump told reporters he had watched the confirmation hearing "for a little while" and praised his candidate.

"He was born for the job," said Trump.

Kavanaugh kept his cool during the long day and rarely seemed shaken by the Democrats, although Coons repressed the candidate's armor by urging him to know if a president in office could be indicted.

Kavanaugh had spoken of this thorny legal debate – in which the Justice Department had opposed indictment before the resignation of a president – in 1998 and again in 2009, when he wrote that a "serious constitutional question exist". Nevertheless, Kavanaugh told Coons that he did not take a position on the constitutionality of indicting a sitting president.

The clash has encouraged Democrats who are trying to undermine the candidate's credibility. "Currently, the American people see Kavanaugh sweat under the lights, he is evasive, and this reinforces the understanding that he has something to hide," said Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) In an interview.

But the 53-year-old judge of the court of appeal started the day with an assured note by exposing his judicial style to Grassley, saying that he hoped to be able to judge matters independently enough for the opposing parties to say that Kavanaugh "made me understand".

Asked about the separation of powers between the three branches of government and judicial independence, Kavanaugh reiterated his previous position that "no one is above the law".

The candidate also reiterated his respect for the "previous precedent" according to which Casey c. Planned Parenthood the decision represents when it comes to the preservation of abortion rights that the high court has established in Roe v. Wade.

"I do not live in a bubble," Kavanaugh told Feinstein. "I understand the importance of the issue."

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) questioned Kavanaugh about allegations of sexual harassment against the first mentor of the candidate, former judge Alex Kozinski, who resigned after several women exposed predators. Kavanaugh said that "I do not remember anything like" the sexually explicit mailing list kept by Kozinski in the early 2000s, describing last year's revelations about Kozinski as "a punch".

"The first idea I've had, no woman should be subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace, including in the justice system, especially in the justice system," said Kavanaugh, recognizing the seriousness of the national movement sexual misconduct at the workplace.

Two moderates face intense pressure from both sides on President Donald Trump's second Supreme Court nominee, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) And Angus King (I-Maine) visited the courtroom for portions of the interrogation, even though they were not part of the Judiciary Committee.

Apple Announces Adjournment During Chaotic Start of Kavanaugh's Hearing Quarrels Require Postponement During Kavanaugh's Chaotic Start of Hearing Wednesday's protest interruptions followed the arrest of 70 protesters during the first seven hours of opening statements on Kavanaugh. .

"We do not work with the Democrats, we work for ourselves," said an activist as US Capitol police escorted her out of the room.

The Democrats' protest against the GOP's confirmation process led to dozens of interruptions by senators on Tuesday. Senators from minority parties reiterated their long-standing objections to Kavanaugh's advancement by Grassley and other Republicans, with hundreds of thousands of pages of documents on his past yet to be published.

Despite constant opposition from Democrats, Kavanaugh should be confirmed later this month. On Tuesday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey chose former Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) To replace the late Sen. John McCain, retaining the majority of Republicans (51-49).

Kavanaugh, who, if confirmed, will replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has served on the Supreme Court of Canada Court of Appeal since 2006 after spending five years at the Bush White House. He is well known for his work on the investigation of former independent advisor Kenneth Starr on President Bill Clinton.

Democrats will almost certainly use Wednesday's session to question Kavanaugh's position on executive power over Trump and the Mueller inquiry. Asked by Hatch about "loyalty" to the president, Kavanaugh distanced himself from Trump's well-known tendency to seek loyalty from his administration.

"If my candidacy is confirmed in the Supreme Court and as a judge in office, I owe my loyalty to the Constitution," said the candidate. "That's what I owe loyalty."