brett kavanaugh: that's correct, mr. chairman. >> and you have a value not to exclude blacks, african americans, on peremptory challenges. that is your value. brett kavanaugh: yes, mr. chairman, and i believe in properprocedures to make sure that racial bias does not occur in the courtroom in the jury selection process. >> ok. my red light went on on round two. i will yield now to senator leahy. >> you know, the reason i kept asking about your taking 7months to answer the questions and why i found your answer inadequate, you did spend years vetting judicial nominees up here and telling them what they were supposed to do and everything else. and it is difficult to understand, having told them how they are supposed to answer, that you did not understand yourself. be that as it may, tomorrow the white house is finally going to release its logs of visitors to the white house, having been forced by a federal judge to do so, something they did not want to do. so i ask you this, do you know mr. abramoff? brett kavanaugh: i do no

mr. kavanaugh himself on that. he has written to bring onitte oneed -- independent counsel and suggesting changes. he has expressed ways to improve the operation of independent counsel, showing an open mind and showing us aggressive thinking as to utilizing his experience. wrote an article on the issue of challenges for african-americans and has a very difficult to use the word, different -- liberal or conservative or progressive around here but he is on the right side of that issue, an issue that i understand well when i became district attorney of philadelphia. i did not have to have the me, il court tell instructed my assistance they could not ask for it and the courts caught up with it. mr. cap now will speak as to his views on that subject. views onescribe his all of these matters. kirkland andent to ellis which is a distinguished law firm. i do not know how many people from the judiciary committee could be employed by kirkland and ellis today. he was taken in as a partner. is an equity partner, it obligated n

mr. kavanaugh's nomination. i would like to welcome you, mr. avanaugh your wife, your baby, your family. since the last hearing before this committee you have become husband and father. i welcome your wife and daughter. i also want to acknowledge the presence of mr. kavanaugh's parents. i've known them for a long time. i've known mr. kavanaugh for a long time. he is deservedly admired by many in this town. his mother served with distinction as a state court judge in maryland for many years. sometimes in these hearings, there is a tendency to skip over too quickly on the qualities and attributes that led the president to nominate the individual and in this case, mr. kavanaugh, and the first place. senator specter has already given us an overview that had quite an effect. we also heard testimony of two excellent court judges for whom he clerked. judge kaczynski of the night circuit and judge stapleton of the third circuit court of appeals. these are people with impeccable reputations. not only did you distinguish yourself as a clerk on two appella

mr. kavanaugh, there is a question pending. would you introduce your family. mr. kavanaugh: yes coverage here on c-span.. i thank my family for being here. since i last appeared before the committee there have been two major changes in my record. they are both sitting behind me. y wife, ashley, and my 8-month-old daughter, margaret. she's watched a little c-span in her day. this is her first live senate hearing, however. i'm not sure as you probably already noticed, i'm not sure she's going to make it very long but she wanted to be here for the start. my uncle, mark murphy, is here. brother-in-law, j.d. is ere. my mom and dad are here. martha and ed kavanaugh. they are and have been an inspiration to me. they have been married for 43 years and i am their only child. i'm just very proud that they are behind me today. my mom in particular in terms of career path has had a profound influence on my career choices. throughout her life she's been dedicated to public service. when she was in her 20's she taught public high school in the district of columbia at mcclin and

mr. kavanaugh said e.p.a. had to consider the cost to industry when determining whether power plants should have to reduce toxic air pollution that causes cancer and lowers the i.q. of children. judge scalia quoted judge kavanaugh when the supreme court later adopted mr. kavanaugh's position in another 5-4 decision, even though the clean air act, even though the clean air act doesn't say a thing about having to consider costs. the coalition for responsible regulation vs. e.p.a. mr. kavanaugh rejected the interpretation that congress gave e.p.a. the authority to control any air pollutant, including greenhouse gases, that contribute to climate change. mr. kavanaugh argued that taking the clean air act at its word and interpreting any air pollutant to include greenhouse gases would lead to what he considered again, as his own personal position, not as a matter of law, absurd results. mr. kavanaugh not only has proven to be untrustworthy in these regards. he's also directly called into question e.p.a.'s authority t

mr. kavanaugh was probably the most extreme on that list of the 25. not only did mr. kavanaugh say that a president should not be subpoenaed, he said a president shouldn't be investigated. mr. kavanaugh, is the president above the law? and he went even further and made the increditulous statement that if the president deemed a law to be unconstitutional, he shouldn't follow it. that would be bad if anyone were president but with donald trump, who has shown so little respect for rule of law, for balance of power, for dispersion of power, this is extremely dangerous. we democrats believe the number one issue in america is health care. and the ability for people to get good health care at the prices they can afford. the nomination of mr. kavanaugh would put a dagger through the heart that have cherished belief that most americans have. and that's a belief that democrats, republicans and independents have. so, there are many issues out there. there's the rights of labor unions. there's the rights of people who want to protect the environment. there's the rights of the lgbt

mr. kavanaugh. i think many americans have a pretty good sense of what the function of congress is, what the president of the united states does, but in fact i think many americans do not fully appreciate the role that the supreme court plays in our lives in the past decade alone, the supreme court has issued some incredibly controversial and, to my mind, disastrous decisions that have had a profound impact on the lives of the american people. and let me just review for a moment why this nomination is so very important by looking at what the supreme court, often by a 5-4 vote, a one-vote majority, has done in recent years. mr. president, if you go out onto the streets of, i this i, any community in the -- of, i think, any community in the united states of america, whether it is a conservative area or a progressive area, what most people will tell you is that we have a corrupt campaign finance system, a system which today, as we speak, allows billionaires to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to b

mr. kavanaugh. is the president above the law?ven further, and made the incredulous statement that if the president deemed a law to be unconstitutional he shouldn't follow it. that would be bad if anyone were president. but with donald trump who has shown so the respect for rule of law, for balance of power, for dispersion of power, this is extremely dangerous. we democrats believe the number one issue in america is healthcare and the ability for people to get good healthcare at price these can afford. the nomination of mr. kavanaugh would put a dagger through the heart of that cherished belief that most americans have. and that's a belief that democrats, republicans, and independents have. so there are many issues out there. there's the rights of labor unions. there's the rights of people who want to protect the environment. there's the right to the lbgq community. at the top of the list is healthcare. healthcare. this nominee will make the ability of americans to afford decent healthcare so much the worse. senator? >> thank you.

mr. kavanaugh personally. he was involved in more than just shuffling papers, he decided what the president would read, and what the staff proposed to the president. is this relevant to the conversation about his service on the supreme court? exactly relevant. under oath, heunder oath, he st, and now we have somewhat contradictory evidence to the contrary. we have a bipartisan standard we have used over and over with supreme court nominees. unfortunately we are in a position where this administration and this leadership in the senate has decided to change the rules. it doesn't help us do our job. senator durbin: thank you, dick. before we call onour -- call on our guests, could you move over a bit? these are the missing empty record boxes. we want them filled with records. >> [laughter] haveor schumer: we now kristine lucius with us from the leadership conference on civil and human rights. durbin, yourenator comments take me back to the confirmation hearing, and what a stunning moment it was when he responded

kavanaugh? because he's worried. that mr. mueller will go to the court and ask that the president be subpoenaed and ask to do other things necessary to move the investigation forward and president trump knows that kavanaugh will be a barrier to preventing that investigation from going there. >> even before president trump picked his nominee last night, he was already saying no nominee should be considered until after the november elections. that was the standard the republicans set for the last supreme court vacancy. they should do it with this one too. now trump has announced the name of his nominee, brett kavanaugh, chuck schumer today and many other democratic senators, now they are raising concerns about whether kavanaugh might have been specifyingly picked because of his stated views on whether a president should ever be indicted. now it is seen as a potential get out of jail free card for the president this case the president's fate is put in the hands of the supreme court. so the democrats had lots of objections to thei

mr. kavanaugh unless there's something i his background we haven't seen yet. other than america favorite past-time, which is consumer debt and baseball tickets. they should save their powder for ruth bader ginsberg. >> they're doing a hail mary as well suggesting that. cavanaugh, if he's confirmed, he should recuse himself from any cases coming up that involve mr. trump. resident trump, what are the chances of that? because there's, doesn't that re usually req some kind of obvious conflict of interest? >> yeah. >> i think it's very lyunli this came up a lot with justice scalia. when he was on the ulwer. sh he recuse himself. it's come up in terms of jusce omas and his wife who is an operative with a conservative think tank in washington. it never goes anywhere but it's a lot of political theater. >> it's strictly up to them to dece whether to recuse themselves. >> scott, we know that on the republican side, we have sue colins of maine and lisa murkowsky, they're perceived as key swing votes. what about democrats, whatsuind of pr is there or democrats running f

mr. kavanaugh. i think many americans have a pretty good sense of what the nc

mr kavanaugh is pro—second amendment.les are also constitutionally protected' and finally, he has issued several rulings against the regulations of the environmental protection agency. he wrote that... as he accepted the nomination, mr kavanaugh launched a bipartisan message. here's what he said. that i rever the constitution. i believe that an independent judiciary is the crown jewel of our constitutional republic. if confirmed by the senate, i will keep an open mind in every case. judge kavanaugh is a well—known figure here in washington and rose to prominence when he served under ken starr — the independent counsel who investigated bill clinton. for more on his record and what we can expect if he becomes a justice — mr. starr joins us now. you weren't closely with him. what was he like to work with? a privilege, extremely bright as you would expect but also quite humble. even though he was always at the top of his class academically, you would not know that from chatting with him. nota not know that from chatting with

mr. kavanaugh. >> after he makes s his announcement, what happens? >> after the announcement, the confirmation battle begins. the worry there is with the raz razor-thin majority in the senate, the democrats could take over the senate and have more power to derail this momnominee. >> it's 4:48 this morning. we'll learn more about the netflix drama based here in d.c. >> last year, the show was shrouded in controversy,fter kevin spacey was fired amid sexual miss allegations. for the firstime, wright discussed the issue. >> was there a red flag or anything that made you think this is problem? >> kevin and i knew each other betwn setups, where we would heggle. i didn't know man, i knew the craftsman that he is. >> the show that is filmed in various places in maryland, is now expected to focus on white's character. >>> head today, harvey weinstei said to be indicted on sex crime charges. the new charges include two counts of predatory sexual assault from a 2006 incident. >>> this morning, we have a better idea how d.c. plans to use mon as a settlement from

mr. kavanaugh, nbc news is reporting that he'll be making this announcement a short time from now. >> judge kavanaugh is a couplju graduated from yale and serves on the u.s. court of appeals in d.c. let's listen in. >> nbc news learning a short time ago that nominee is brett kw kavanaugh. short of sending a country to war, naming nominees is the president's most consequential power, andh

mr. kavanaugh for sure.on is ongoing, this is a serious matter that i think everyone agrees that, you know, needs to be taken seriously. and frankly, though, i think we need to wrap it up. you just see what have they found, has there been obstruction or not. i think that's a knock against mr. kavanaugh because of what you said. >> listen, i have to cut this short. sorry to you, jonathan. also a thank you to you both. we have this breaking news -- from north korea right now. the north's official news agency says the deal with the u.s. to denuclearize may be headed downhill because the u.s. is demanding unilateral denuclearization. north korean officials are quoted as calling the talks with secretary of state mike pompeo extremely troubling, and that the fastest way to achieve a nuclear-free korean peninsula is through a phased approach with steps being taken by both north korea and the u.s. joining me now on the phone, chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell, joining me from washington, d.c. andre

mr. kavanaugh's white house service. chances ou think the are that the senate will see all of the documentation related to period of his service or chances access to that will be limited? we would expect that chairman grassley, who chairs judiciary committee, will request and obtain all of being sought about his years in the white house. actually some precedent that.enator grassley to do john roberts worked in the white house, elena kagan worked in the white house. and they made -- they released including r records e-mails. so there is direct precedent notion that these records need to be made vailable and carefully reviewed. and we would expect chairman obey that precedent. i think it is also important a supreme court critically s so important that the american and e ought to understand understand well who it is who is considered for that particular role. is efore, i think it incumbent on the republican party to make all of this accessible, people ample give it.e to review and digest siobhan: there is so much paperwork.

mr. kavanaugh's record more designed to divide us. >> after theha hearing about senator, my mom said to me, thinke really respects you, as only a mom can. >> reporter: he was confirmed 57 a6. he's been judge for 12 years and says w the yearsh bush made him a better one. in a 2009 law retiew e, he said that experience convinced him that presidents n should be subjected to lawsuits or criminal investigations whilen office, but said congress should change the law to emovide that ion. republicanen leaders in thee had told the president that kavanaugh might be harder to get through confirmation because of his extensive paper trail as a judgeh in the b administration and working for kenneth starr. president trump apparently believes kavanaugh is worth the trouble. frances? >> we will see. pete, thank you. >>> hopes are highn in north thailand as the third round of rescue operations are under way to free the last four boys and their soccer coach trapped in the cave for 18 days now. relief is finally setting in with the eight of the boys now out of the dark. the thai navy s.e.a.l.s expressed their

mr. kavanaugh, nbc news is reporting that he'll be making this announcement a short time from now. >> judge kavanaugh is a couplju graduated from yale and serves on the u.s. court of appeals in d.c. let's listen in. >> nbc news learning a short time ago that nominee is brett kw kavanaugh. short of sending a country to war, naming nominees is the president's most consequential power, and with the choice of kavanaugh, the president cements the conservative tilt. hallie jackson is in the east room. give us an acce sense of what's happening. >> reporter: a lot of dl deliberations. this is a moment that the president understands. our sources tell us he gets the weight of this decision, how it could reshape the supreme court for a generation. kavanaugh from nearly the beginning had been widely considered the front runner. now the confirmation battle could begin. if republicans stick together, there is nothing that could stop kavanaugh from getting confirmed, if not, it will turn to four key red-state democrats. >> united states. [ applause ] >> my fellow americans, tonight i speak to you from the

mr. kavanaugh will be consistent with that view, think with an executive power perspective, he has a long historyoing back to jefferson and others where a president sitting in office can't for political purposes,nr e for criminal purposes, be indicted. >> i think all of that may be fair game. one of the things that will come up that the democra will ma hay on this is the idea that any president, particularly this president could be above the la and if there is someone on the supreme court who is providing crucial vote for excusing the president while he is president, i think that's going to rai some issues both for the public and for the democrats who have to vote for this. nd again, this is going to be a tight nomination, every vote is going to coun getting to 50 or 51 will be a uge haul. these questions are going to loom large. ant to run democrats out the clock and try to get this as close as they can to the election. i think it will be tough given they don't have control of the senate this is an issue that motivates the base, women, suburban women i think, which is going to be key to

mr. kavanaugh who raised his hand. in his dissent in seven-sky v. holder, kavanaugh wrote a footnote stating under the constitution, the president may decline to enforce a statute that regulates private individuals when the president deems the statute unconstitutional, even if a court has held or would hold that statute to be constitutional. wow. not only does this nominee believe that the only power to address a misbehaving president is impeachment, the power granted to the congress, but also that the president has the power to ignore laws just by virtue of feeling that they are unconstitutional even if a court says they're constitutional. that is not the system of checks and balances set up in our constitution. so that is a big concern and it leads us to the conclusion that when a president is under investigation for the possibility of a serious crime of collaborating with the enemy, that president should not have this chamber considering -- considering, holding hearings, proceeding to take a debate and a vote on that nominee. let that cloud be cle

mr. kavanaugh? >> no, those judgments have to be made. it's a separate track. involved in any dimension of this. here is rudy guiliani coming on stage and making a lot of statements and doing a very aggressive job. brett is in the monastery as we were told as new judges. that's what i was told as new judges, you've been through the monastery, he will steel himself, he, judge kavanaugh, from that. we'll see what the senators raise. they have the freedom to raise anything that they want to and i think we'll probably end up having a lot of discussion about this, but what i think the american people, and hopefully, a heavy majority of the senators, will be assured of, here is great, able, honorable person who meets all of the traditional criteria of a supreme court justice and meets them with flying colors. but he also stands in this great tradition of great judges, great justices from holmes on who will take these cases one at a time and he will do a great job and an honorable job as a justice. neil: finally, you mentioneded monastery. his catholocism has raised ha

whether judge kavanaugh truly was an honest rocher, just a traffic cop, just passing documents through his hands without any input, the best way to do it is by reviewing those documents. mr. president, judge kavanaugh made this point when he was an appellate court nominee at his confirmation hearing. he answered "that is done through an assessment of going back, in my case, 16 years of my career and looking at the kinds of things i have done in the staff secretary's office, we should heed those words, they are the words of judge kavanaugh. we should examine all the documents. it may take some additional time to review all those documents, .ut maybe not if there is nothing in there that relates to his view and his opinion and his role, if he was just a traffic cop or an honest rocher, we can get through them quickly. that regardless of the time involved, there is no more important task that we will undertake as united states senators then deciding his qualifications to be a justice on the u.s. supreme court. anything less would be a dereliction of our duty. thank you, mr. president and i yield the floor. >> supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh akin to news to meet with s

mr. kavanaugh on the supreme court that is the number one driver into the election.: the senate's driver. should she they do something supportive of the president. >> i think those that make the choices to abandon president trump will pay the price when they go to the polls in november. when is interesting, one of people we'll have the show tonight with laura ingram. lou: 10:00. >> yes, is john james running for senate. in michigan, he is not running away from president trump, he is embracing president trump. and that is interesting, media would have you believe that everyone is leaving in droves. but you go to heart of america that is not what is happening. lou: jac jason chaffetz thank y. >> thank you. lou: 10:00 eastern fox news channel, he is sitting in for laura ingram. >> thank you. lou: up next, national left wing media still think they can run over president trump about russia summit. through magazine covers. we'll share a few of them with you. more ahead stay with us. retail. under pressure like never before. and it's connected technology that's moving compa

mr. president, that it's going to be a very good conversation and that judge kavanaugh would make an excellent justice of the supreme court.. mr. sanders: i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sanders: mr. president, today i rise to oppose the nomination of brett kavanaugh to the supreme court. and this is an issue that i will

mr. kavanaugh has ruled in favor of these far right corporate interests. so, i gather that you're concerned about the commerce clause both from the standpoint of the affordable care act as a precedent for more damage in the health area. >> and i understand it sounds wonky and might steer them away from it, but it's a frame work what we have in our country and help the american people understand that. also i think there's another element involved here that we also need to have hard conversations with the american people about and that's the simple reality that a good and functioning, civilized society requires some elements of coercion to function, for example, traffic regulations, right? speeding tickets, things like that. this use of the first amendment to say no one should have to pay dues to a labor union because that violates their first amendment rights to freedom of speech, why can't that be used against our tax system? i would not be surprised if we see libertarian outfits attacking the requirement that people pay taxes for things that they don't su

mr. kavanaugh. and he looks to me like if confirmed he would be a poster guy for powerful corporate interests in dark money. there is a path to higher rates for the working families that all of you represent. and it's not as if we don't have incredible challenges right now trying to keep dark money from seeping into the holes and campaign finance law. we barely held off an effort to repeal the johnson amendment which would have been the biggest gift to dark money since citizens united. basically would have allowed the churches to be used to carry out this far right agenda by in effect abusing the tax laws. all of you have given us very thoughtful presentations. i think what i would like to ask of you miss mcclean is if he's confirmed, what would you be most worried about? for example, having listened to senator whitehouse and other experts, my sense is that a sympathetic court would take citizens united and say no limits at all. no limits whatsoever. and in effect, senators could practically be spon

mr. kavanaugh. we want to look at his writings.ion documents based on his writings are things that he has put out there, addressing opinions on certain issues. i want to see that. i'm an attorney. i want to see his opinions. i want to see his writings. i want to see what he stands for a particular issues and comments. i think we all have that opportunity is united states senators. i take very seriously the advise and consent authority that i have. so we want to take the time to uncover what he has done and said in the past. that will really require a number of things, to get all those documents, to get the opportunity to go through them, and have a judiciary hearings so we can question him based on what we find on those documents and partially meet with him. i want to be able to ask him about some of the concerns that , thatady have, know about i want him to address versailles because i want to see how he responds to it. shery: some of those concerns are abortion-rights. you believe that he poses a threat to roe v. wade? >> not onl

mr. kavanaugh would be? >> judge kavanaugh is an independent thinker with an almost unprecedented level of experience for a supreme court nomination. he has served 12 years on the second most important court in the country. he's authored some 300 opinions and on 13 different occasions, the supreme court has vindicated an penalties written by judge kavanaugh. those opinions by the supreme court that have vindicated judge caf narcotic, they haven't all been written by thomas or alito. there are opinions by prior, by roberts, justice kennedy has written all those opinions. i think justice kavanaugh is extremely qualified, an independent thinker and an excellent supreme court justice. >> judge caf narcotic, roe v. wade, settled law? >> you know, judge caf narcotic said in 2006 that roe v. wade is a precedent of the court, i expect this time he will say it is a precedent of the court, if anyone is curious how he should handle precedent, i encourage emthem to look at a book he wrote, called the law of judicial prec

mr. kavanaugh record more designed to devise us. they say opposition from the left was fuel that had kavanaugh could one day sit on the supreme court. let's talk with senator from nebraska for his reaction. >> good to be here. >> you have been critical of the president, when you felt it is warranted how downing he has done with the court picks. >> i think he has done a great job. i think the precedent he set of the list of 25 he campaigned on would be a great thing to go forward in presidential politics and american life. one of the fundamental powers is to nominate people, if confirmed willll serve for a lifetime and telling voters who you pick is a good tradition. the president has stuck to his list. >> how do you think it y will condone the committee. a number w of democrats some sit on the committee, who are opposed no matter who the president pick. >> last year when gorrish was pick wed were supposed to be doing that interview. >> a lot-- when gorush was picked i within over to engage some of thed, protesters i was t the white h

[applause] judge kavanaugh: mr. president, thank you. throughout this process, i have witnessed firsthand your appreciation for the vital role of the american judiciary. no president has ever consulted more widely or talked with more people from more backgrounds to seek input about a supreme court nomination. mr. president, i am grateful to you and i am humbled by your confidence in me. thank you. thirty years ago, president reagan nominated anthony kennedy to the supreme court. the framers established that the constitution is designed to secure the blessings of liberty. justice kennedy devoted his career to securing liberty. i'm deeply honored to be nominated to fill his seat on the supreme court. [applause] judge kavanaugh: my mom and dad are here. i am their only child. when people ask what it's like to be an only child, i say, it depends on who your parents are. [laughter] kavanaugh: i was lucky. my mom was a teacher. in the 1960s and '70s she taught history at two largely african-american public high schools in washington, d.c. -- m

mr. kavanaugh was probably the most extreme on that issue of the 25. >> it will be intense pressure on some democrats, those from states won by president trump in 20 2016. donnelly, manchin and heitkamp voted for neil gorsuch to be confirmed to the supreme court. another red state democrat, john tester, tells us he's not feeling the heat just yet. we'll see how many are yeses and how many are nos. bottom line, democrats are saying they believe judge kavanaugh would be a threat on abortion rights and the healthcare law. shep? >> shepard: timeline is important here. tell us about that. >> republicans here on capitol hill and some at the white house hope to have judge kavanaugh confirmed by october 1. the start of a new supreme court term. republicans note that justice sonya sotomayor and kneel gorsuch were confirmed in 66 days from nomination to confirmation. a short time ago, the senate majority leader encouraged democrats to keep an open mind about kavanaugh. >> the president couldn't have done a better job of picking a well-qualified nominee. i think the comments all over the country have

mr. kavanaugh. >> senator sheldon whitehouse.r, we were so happy we were able to get you reconnected. thank you for sticking with us. >> thanks. >>> and we'll be right back. [ screams ] ♪ [ laughs ] ♪ whoa, whoa, whoa. your one item would be the name your price tool? it helps people save on car insurance. why wouldn't it save me? why? what would you bring? a boat. huh. comdeeper than the oceanrld as unfathomable as the universe a world that doesn't exist outside you, but within you where breakthrough science is replacing chemotherapy with immunotherapy where we can now attack the causes of disease not just the symptoms. where medicines once produced for all, are now designed to fit you. today, 140,000 biopharmaceutical researchers go boldly to discover treatments and cures unimaginable ten years ago and they're on the verge of more tomorrow. this is frank. sup! this is frank's favorite record. this is frank's dog. and this is frank's record shop. frank knowns northern soul, but how to set up a limited liability company... what's

mr. kavanaugh's record. moore designed to divide us. sources have the time opposition from the left was fueled by concert kavanaugh could one day sit on the supreme court. let's talk about it now with book and senator from nebraska ben sasse, a member of the senate judiciary committee, for his reaction. good to have you with us. you have been. glover president when he felt it was warranted. how do you think is doing with these court picks question mexico he done a great job. this list of 25 that he campaigned on will be a great thing to go forward in presidential politics. one of the fundamental powers the president has is to nominate people who have convertibles or for a lifetime and telling voters who you would pick, it's a really good tradition and the president has talked with less. >> shannon: how do you think it's going to go on the committee because we heard a number of democrats, some on that committee, but are opposed no matter whom the president picks. >> last year when gorsuch was packed, you are not supposed to be doing the i

mr. kavanaugh. >> and dan, what's mcconnell's strategy here to get them through? think the strategy is to press forward as hard as he can, try to put pressure on the democrats, try to make it clear that this is an act of mindless obstruction and whatever they do, i think that the republicans ought to make this a very active campaign issue now in 4 to 5 senate seats and make them, you know, turn out republicans based on the fact that they will hold up the most important judicial nomination in a generation. paul: and i would argue that failed to confirm republican presidential appointee they will probably lose the senate in november. still ahead, president trump wrapping up a busy week of meetings and preparing for another high-stakes summit on monday this time with russian president vladimir putin, we will look at what both sides will look at what both sides want from that sit-down copd makes it hard to breathe. so to breathe better, i go with anoro. ♪ go your own way copd tries to say, "go this way." i say, "i'll go my own way, with anoro." ♪ go your own way once-

mr. kavanaugh's holdings in different cases. i worked with him for two years. brilliant man, a man of integrity in the white house. he was clear even then that he was going to be a supreme court justice. >> harris: even staff secretary for george w. bush. >> yes. he worked on the murder board for justice roberts and justice alito. he knows the drill. this is going to be a lot of fireworks mostly about roe, a little bit about healthcare. and i think the problem is, the democrats don't have the votes. as long as the republicans hold together, my bet is that they will, it will be a lot of sound and fury. i don't think it'll be bourque 2, i think it will be like a chinese new year parade, you see the dragon, everyone throws off firecrackers but it's a lot for show. >> harris: they're usually quite beautiful. [laughing] but the president is describing this as potentially vicious. >> also, it is going to be a political brawl no matter what. because of two words -- merritt garland. the democrats are still furious he was never given the courtesy of a hearing. you are g

mr. kavanaugh was probably the most extreme on that issue of the 25. adam: so the democrats are concerned and want the nominee to vow that he would recuse himself if there was an issue between the mueller investigation and the president in regards to russia. that's one issue, but then you've got mitch mcconnell and the republicans who are defend ing the nominee saying he is among the best choices that could have been made. here is what mitch mcconnell said within the last hour. >> we know that if the shoe was on the other foot this was a republican president setting a nomination up to a democratic senate in the middle of a presidential election year they would not have acted. adam: so the bottom line is both sides positioning for the confirmation hearings and the confirmation fight, the administration, liz, is saying that look, on average it takes 66 days from the announcement to the confirmation. that's what they would like to see. they want this to happen within that timeframe. back to you. liz: want and will get, two different things, adam thank you

mr. kavanaugh's record, more designed to divide us. >> after the hearing about that senator, my mom saids only a mom can. >> reporter: he was confirmed 57-36. he's been a judge for 12 years and says the years with bush made him a better one. in a 2009 law review article, he said that experience convinced him that presidents should not be subjected to lawsuits or criminal investigations while in office, but said congress should change the law to provide that exemption. republican leaders in the senate had told the president that kavanaugh might be harder to get through confirmation because of his extensive record as a judge in the bush administration and working for kenneth starr. president trump apparently believes kavanaugh is worth the trouble. yasmin. >> thank you, pete williams, for that report. >>> in what has become a tradition of sorts during his time in office, president trump chose to treat his unveiling of brett kavanaugh as his supreme court nominee like a prime time tv special. hours before last night's announcement, msnbc contributor gabe sherman tweeted, inside the house, s

mr. kavanaugh's record, more designed to divide us. is nomination appears to be judicial payment for political services rendered. >> shannon: sources said that opposition from the left was fueled by concern that kavanaugh could one day sit on the supreme court. >> i consider myself a republican and i support president bush. >> shannon: those close ties may now create concern from the current president, giving trump's past rhetorical run-ins with the bushes. trump 2008 he seemed to back impeaching president bush for the iraq war, which trump said would be a "wonderful thing." candidate trump in 2016 had repeated verbal clashes with rival jeb bush, former florida governor. >> job doesn't really believe i believe i'm unhinged. he said that very simply because he failed in the campaign. it's been a total disaster. no one cares. >> shannon: as for kavanaugh, he brings a stellar resume. dl law school, top deputy to special prosecutor ken starr's probe of bill clinton that led to the president's impeachment. on the bench, the 53-year-old has b

mr. kavanaugh. brett worked for me in the white house. he was one of my lawyers. from my perspective, i think it would be totally unfair and wrong to penalize or in any way cast doubt upon brett's ability based upon his service as a young lawyer in the white house, and later on in the staff secretary's office. from my perspective, brett kavanaugh served with honor and distinction. he's likewise served with honor and distinction as a circuit judge. that carries far greater weight in terms of his evaluation as a supreme court justice than his service in the white house. >> let me play what republican senator blunt said over the weekend to chuck todd on "meet the press" regarding this final list of contenders. listen. >> i think they'll all be -- they're good judges. i think they'd be fine justices of the supreme court. i do think the president has to think about who is the easiest to get confirmed here. i expect we'll do that on sort of the normal timetable of a couple of months. >> so, who is the easiest to get confirmed? do you believe, judge gonzalez, that should