President Trump lavished praise on Sen. Rand Paul on Monday after the Kentucky Republican vowed to support Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, during his confirmation process.
“Thank you to @RandPaul for your YES on a future great Justice of the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Your vote means a lot to me, and to everyone who loves our Country!”
Thank you to @RandPaul for your YES on a future great Justice of the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. Your vote means a lot to me, and to everyone who loves our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2018
Paul announced earlier Monday he had pushed aside doubts about Kavanaugh, given his views on the Fourth Amendment, to back the federal appeals court judge’s candidacy to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on the nation’s highest court.
“Each nominee … must be judged on the totality of their views, character, and opinions,” Paul wrote in a statement.
“I have expressed my concern over Judge Kavanaugh’s record on warrantless bulk collection of data and how that might apply to very important privacy cases before the Supreme Court,” he continued, adding he no longer harbored worries after meeting with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit judge. “Judge Kavanaugh will be more open to a Fourth Amendment that protects digital records and property.”
Kennedy’s retirement goes into effect on July 31 after just more than 30 years on the Supreme Court.
Kavanaugh is in the process of courting members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill as their blessings will be crucial to the success of his appointment before his nomination is put on the upper chamber’s floor.
[Opinion: Death, taxes, and Rand Paul’s hypocrisy]
