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https://thinkprogress.org/trump-anthony-kennedy-brett-kavanaugh-corrupt-secret-deal-13fd59473ecf/White House does not dispute report that Trump struck a secret, corrupt deal with Justice Kennedy
It's not supposed to work like this.
Aaron Rupar
Jul 10, 2018, 9:24 am
During an CNN interview on Tuesday morning, White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah did not deny an NBC report that outgoing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy received assurances from President Trump that if he retired, Judge Brett Kavanaugh one of Kennedys former clerks would be nominated to be his replacement.
Asked repeatedly if some sort of deal between Trump and Kennedy was struck before Kennedy announced his retirement, Shah dodged, saying things like Im not going to read out private conversations that Justice Kennedy had with either members of the White House or the president, and, Justice Kennedy can speak for himself. But what Shah didnt do is deny that the NBC report is accurate.
If NBCs report is true, it means Kennedy would effectively have been given control over a SCOTUS seat for 60 years the 30 years he served, and the 30 or so the 53-year-old Kavanaugh will likely serve on the court if confirmed.
At another point during the CNN interview, Shah was asked if Trump was familiar with an article Kavanaughs wrote that could become relevant to SCOTUS as special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of the Trump campaign unfolds a 2009 law review article in which Kavanaugh argued that sitting presidents are above the law.
The indictment and trial of a sitting president would cripple the federal government, rendering it unable to function with credibility in either the international or domestic areas, Kavanaugh wrote. Such an outcome would ill serve the public interest, especially in times of financial or national security crisis.
Shah again dodged, saying that the president and the White House are aware of all of Judge Kavanaughs public record, but what we are focused on is that if you look at his opinions, if you look at his writings, there are some that would emphasize greater power for the executive, some that would limit the power. Some that would put a ruling on one or another side of a specific issue. But the constant strain through all of the rulings, through all the opinions, through all the writings is an individual who interprets the law and the Constitution as it was written and doesnt legislate from the bench.
Does the president agree with the 2009 writing? host John Berman followed up.
I havent asked the president about that writing, Shah said.
dalton99a
(81,406 posts)BlueJac
(7,838 posts)AlexSFCA
(6,137 posts)on landmark cases including marriage equality and women rights? Kennedy has been pretty reliable when it comes to individual liberties, does he have assurances that his former clerk will preserve those precedents? Or does he care?
justhanginon
(3,289 posts)to function with credibility has been solved by trump himself. It seems he has no credibility in the arena of foreign relations now that he has broken treaties, embraced our enemies and disparaged our allies along with badmouthing any leaders of countries that are friendly to us. Trust and credibility are not in the vocabulary of describing this corrupt president of the United States.
UTUSN
(70,649 posts)bdamomma
(63,801 posts)this man should not be on the Supreme Court this choice should be dissolved.
Initech
(100,042 posts)We need to make this our mantra in the midterms!
duforsure
(11,885 posts)Trump had corrupted his son and was using it against Kennedy to force him out, and so trump could install protection for himself.
aeromanKC
(3,322 posts)Mueller is on it.
Botany
(70,449 posts)the coup continues
Scarsdale
(9,426 posts)ONLY if they are gop. Bill Clinton was not. tRump is destroying this country, and is on the fast track to hand over the reins to Putin. The emoluments clause is just one of the laws he is breaking, with full approval from the traitors in the gop. Why is he insisting on a private meeting with Putin? He is supposedly representing the entire country, why the secrecy? When Kavanagh wrote that little nugget, what SANE person ever expected a truly fake person with little brain power like tRump would be placed into office by Russia???
Hekate
(90,564 posts)Sophia4
(3,515 posts)the balance of powers, of the integrity of the separate but equal theory of our government could have been breached.
This could be a serious matter.
A president cannot appoint a member of Congress. A president can only appoint a justice with the consent of Congress. So Congress is on the line here.
If a deal was made, maybe it was within the president's decision-making authority. Maybe not. The integrity of the process is in question, but maybe the president is entitled to make a deal with an outgoing justice.
We shall see.
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)repubes don't need their evil empire* russian pals for this. This level of corruption is already anchored in what is left of the GOP soul.
* per ronald freaking reagan
blue-wave
(4,344 posts)saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)for Justice Kennedy is down the toilet because of this outrageous partisan collusion, and attack on our constitutional right to an impartial judicial system.
lancelyons
(988 posts)Maybe when us democrats retake the house senate and presidency we should angle to fix all the rules to prevent the things Trump is doing today. Today they are just guidelines and not laws. We should make fixing and securing our democracy as a number 1 focus.
1. Presidential corruption rules (presidential indictments, subpoena to grand jury, emoluments, etc, interfering with investigations)
2. Gerry mandering
3. voter suppression/ voter id
4. stack the courts as well
5. etc
pecosbob
(7,533 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Hamlette
(15,408 posts)it
is
politics
aggiesal
(8,907 posts)a non-denial, denial.