Democrat Senator Cory Booker unloaded on President Trump’s nominee to join the Supreme Court late Monday evening; saying Judge Brett Kavanaugh would likely be the Commander-in-Chief’s ‘get out of jail free card’ should he be confirmed.
Booker was speaking with reporters on the steps of the Supreme Court when he was asked to comment on Trump’s pick; saying the potential justice could spark a “constitutional crisis.”
Just interviewed Senator @CoryBooker. Here’s what he had to say about Kavanaugh. #SCOTUSNomination pic.twitter.com/BgNvMsUMOO
— Anna-Lysa Gayle (@ABC7Annalysa) July 10, 2018
“First of all, you need to understand that this was the only pick among the entire list that explicitly said the President shouldn’t be the subject of a criminal investigation,” said Booker.
“The President is saying I have a chance to now make sure the Supreme Court gets me a ‘Get out of jail free card,’” he added. “We in the Senate are concerned about avoiding a constitutional crisis.”
BREAKING: President Trump Picks BRETT KAVANAUGH to Join Supreme Court
President Trump officially unveiled his pick to replace outgoing Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court Monday night; announcing his decision to nominate federal appeals court judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh currently sits on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which commonly rules on hot-button issues and major cases regarding federal law.
The 53-year-old judge was nominated to the circuit court by former President George W. Bush and confirmed back in 2006 by a 57-36 vote.
The President’s comments come after days of fevered speculation surrounding the nation’s highest court with swing-vote Anthony Kennedy announcing his planned retirement just weeks ago.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi vowed to fight the President’s nominee Monday night, saying her party will work hard to “avenge President Obama,” whose Supreme Court pick Merrick Garland stalled throughout the confirmation process.
BREAKING: Justice ANTHONY KENNEDY to Retire, NEW VACANCY on the Supreme Court
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced Wednesday his plans to retire from the nation’s highest court; creating a new vacancy to be filled by President Trump.
Kennedy revealed his decision in a letter delivered to President Trump Wednesday afternoon, saying he was prepared to step down from the court.
“For a member of the legal profession, it is the highest of honors to serve on this Court,” he wrote. “Please permit me by this letter to express my profound gratitude for having had the privilege to seek in each case how best to know, interpret and defend the Constitution and the laws that must always conform to its mandates and promises.”
“Justice Kennedy, 81, has long been the decisive vote in many closely divided cases. His retirement gives President Trump the opportunity to fundamentally change the course of the Supreme Court,” writes the New York Times.
More information is at develops.