Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said he looks forward to “upcoming hearings, reviewing the record, and meeting personally with Judge Kavanaugh” in a tweet Monday night after President Donald Trump announced him as his Supreme Court nominee.
Paul, an outspoken critic of former President George W. Bush’s policies, said he will have an open mind at the upcoming confirmation hearings.
I look forward to the upcoming hearings, reviewing the record, and meeting personally with Judge Kavanaugh, with an open mind.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) July 10, 2018
Judge Brett Kavanaugh previously worked for Bush’s administration as staff secretary until 2006 when he was confirmed as a federal judge in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Paul’s concerns are speculated to be over Kavanaugh’s interpretation of the Fourth Amendment in matters of warrantless surveillance and data collection, something Paul opposes, as well as waterboarding, an interrogation technique that led to his opposition to the nomination of CIA director, Gina Haspel. (RELATED: Judge Napolitano ‘Disappointed’ By Trump SCOTUS Pick: ‘Big Government Guy’)
In a 2014 class action lawsuit Paul, represented by former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, challenged the constitutionality of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) call-record program. The case was denied by Kavanaugh, reported The Washington Examiner.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s concern over how Paul would vote on Kavanaugh caused him to recommend another nominee, either Judges Raymond M. Kethledge or Thomas M. Hardiman to Trump, according to The New York Times.
Republicans cannot afford to lose any one of their 50 members in this vote, especially since they are down one with Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain away during cancer treatment. Senate Democrats hold 49 members.
Paul was one of a few other conservatives in Washington to push for Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee to be considered for nomination, according to U.S. News and World Report.
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