Questions about Kennedy connections abound after President Trump picks Brett Kavanaugh to fill Supreme Court vacancy
Kavanaugh met with Republican lawmakers Tuesday as he prepares for a contentious confirmation battle.
But the conservative jurist's path to replacing the man he once clerked for began well before the President's made-for TV decision.
While Trump did his best over the past two weeks to keep his choice under wraps, there are indications from those close to the President and several reports that the pick was made months ago.
A source close to Trump's inner circle told the
While there were no direct efforts to force Kennedy to step down, there were vague assertions made that should he retire, his seat would go to someone he knew and trusted.
"There was not a firm understanding, but from what I've heard, the understanding was that the President would be more sympathetic to appointing a replacement that would be consistent with his desires and choices," the source said.
Trump was leaning toward Kavanaugh, but a meeting with Kennedy where the jurist informed him of his retirement at the
Kennedy "left the impression with Trump that Kavanaugh would be a great candidate for the job," the site reported.
Longstanding relationships between the Trump and Kennedy families have raised eyebrows.
Kennedy's son Justin has close ties to the Trump family and was in charge of the real estate division of
"What I've heard is that Kennedy and the President never spoke, however their children have had conversations," the source said days before Trump announced his pick.
Some critics questioned Kennedy's motives and pointed to recent
"If true, this calls into question the Travel Ban decision, among other cases this term. If Kennedy wanted Trump to keep to the deal, could he really rule against him in this case?" tweeted former Obama era
"I'm not going to read out private conversations that
During his prime-time unveiling, Trump heaped praise on Kavanaugh, calling him "one of the finest and sharpest legal minds of our time."
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Kavanaugh has faced backlash from
Former Sen.
Senate Majority Leader
"The ramifications of this battle will last a generation or more. I'm going to fight this nomination with everything I've got," Schumer said on the steps of the
Schumer also insinuated that he believes Trump chose Kavanaugh because he thinks the jurist can protect him from special counsel
Kavanaugh wrote in a 2009 Minnesota Law Review article that it would be appropriate for
Kavanaugh worked on independent counsel
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President Trump nominates hard-line conservative Brett Kavanaugh to Supreme Court
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