Feinstein grills Kavanaugh on gun control, presidential powers
Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the
Kavanaugh worked on the independent counsel investigation of former President
During the hearing, Feinstein pressed him to explain why his opinion had changed.
"What changed was
He also said that the stance he took in the law review article represented "ideas for
Still, he avoided answering one of Feinstein's most important questions.
"Can a sitting president be required to respond to a subpoena?" Feinstein asked.
"I can't give you an answer on that hypothetical question," Kavanaugh responded, citing the typical practice of
Feinstein also drilled into Kavanaugh's views on gun control, focusing on his 2011 dissent in an appeals court decision upholding
"Semiautomatic rifles are widely possessed in
Feinstein replied, incredulous, that "it's not common storage or possession, it's common use."
"All weapons are dangerous," Kavanaugh said, but argued that they aren't "unusual."
"I don't get to pick and choose which
On one of the most crucial decisions in the debate over Kavanaugh's nomination, the Roe v. Wade decision protecting abortion rights, Feinstein pushed Kavanaugh on whether he believed the case was correctly decided. Before abortion was legal, "a lot of women died in that period," Feinstein said. "I don't want to go back to those death tolls."
Kavanaugh avoided saying specifically whether he believed the decision was correct, but called it an "important precedent of the
"I understand your point of view on that and I understand how passionately and deeply people feel about the issue," Kavanaugh told Feinstein. "I don't live in a bubble."
He also said previously reported comments he made on a panel discussion where he appeared to question
Sen.
While it appears likely
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