Trump planning prime-time announcement for Supreme Court pick Monday night as his choice narrows to Amy Coney Barrett and two men in search for an 'al

superbeets · Jul 5, 2018

[h=2]Trump planning prime-time announcement for Supreme Court pick Monday night as his choice narrows to Amy Coney Barrett and two men in search for an 'all American' selection[/h]

President Donald Trump has narrowed his Supreme Court nominee down to three favorites - including one woman - as he prepares to announce his choice on Monday. Those being considered are federal appeals judges Amy Coney Barrett, inset, Brett Kavanaugh, main right, and Raymond Kethledge,inset, according to multiple reports. The president has met with all three contenders.

superbeets · Jul 5, 2018

[h=2]Trump planning prime-time announcement for Supreme Court pick Monday night as his choice narrows to Amy Coney Barrett and two men in search for an 'all American' selection[/h]

President Trump is said to have narrowed his pick to three: federal appeals judges Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Raymond Kethledge
He said he will make his announcement at the White House a 9 p.m. on Monday
Trump has said he would like to pick a woman but a report indicates he and Coney Barrett did not click in their interview
A source involved in the pick: 'What really matters is, does this nominee fit a central casting image for a Supreme Court nominee, as well as his or her spouse'
All three contenders are married and have met with Trump
The president likes to go with the personal in his choices
The pick is 'not going to be an analysis of Pennsylvania politics'

superbeets · Jul 5, 2018

President Donald Trump is setting up a primetime announcement of his Supreme Court pick, after narrowing his choices to fill a vacancy down to three or four favorites - including one woman.
Trump plans to reveal his selection in a prime time announcement Monday night – setting up a rollout similar to the scripted made-for-TV unveiling of Neil Gorsuch, who Republicans successfully installed on the high court by invoking the 'nuclear option' and ending Supreme Court filibusters.
'As you know there is now a vacancy on the Supreme Court,' Trump teased a crowd at a campaign rally in Montana Thursday night.
'And if you turn in Monday at 9 o’clock, I think you’re going to be extremely happy with the selection, right?' Trump said.
'And they’re all great. They’re all great,' he said of his selections, without tipping his hand.

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President Donald Trump hyped his Supreme Court justice selection rollout set for Monday

superbeets · Jul 5, 2018

Then he said Justice Anthony Kennedy, the 81-year-old key swing vote justice in many 5-4 decisions, left because of 'confidence' in Trump.
'And I want to thank Justice Kennedy for his lifetime of truly distinguished service. And he had confidence in me. He left because he said you’re going to pick somebody great. And so nice,' Trump sad.
'So nice. Great man. A great gentleman.'
Then Trump blasted Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester for having voted against Neil Gorsuch to fill the seat of Antonin Scalia after a nearly year-long GOP filibuster of an Obama nominee.

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Trump thanked retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy for his 'lifetime of truly distinguished service'

Trump called Kennedy 'the incredible justice who supports fully our constitution.'
Those being considered are federal appeals judges Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Raymond Kethledge, according to multiple reports.
The announcement will come at the White House at 9 p.m. on Monday, Trump said aboard Air Force One on Thursday.
The president has met with all the contenders but he was coy when asked to give any hints as to whom he may be considering.
'I'll say on the record that I am interviewing some extraordinarily talented and brilliant people and I'm very, very happy with them and we will pick somebody who will be outstanding, hopefully for many years to come,' he said.
He indicated he had narrowed his choices down to two or three or four names.
'I think I have it down to four people and I think of the four people, I have it down to three or two. I think they're all outstanding. Honestly I could pick any of the 25 and they would be terrific. Those are very terrific people. The whole list is extraordinary.'
He also said that Vice President Mike Pence and some unnamed White House staff will join him in New Jersey this weekend when he is at his Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.
'We're going to go over the Supreme Court and some other things that we're working on,' he said.
Three names emerged on Thursday as the frontrunners.
Trump has said he would like to pick a woman although there is a report he and Coney Barrett didn't click during their interview. While she would appeal the most to the conservative base her confirmation hearing would be expected to be the most contiguous, especially if Democrats bring up Roe v. Wade. Coney Barrett is a strict Catholic.
Kavanaugh is reported to be a front runner from the start but there is talk Kethledge could be the dark horse who takes the prize as Trump was said to have loved him during their interview.
But the president's final choice may come down to his gut.

superbeets · Jul 5, 2018

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This photo of Brett Kavanaugh and his wife is said to be the type of image that appeals to Trump

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Amy Coney Barrett would appeal to the president's base but their interview reportedly didn't go well

superbeets · Jul 5, 2018

In his Supreme Court nominee, Trump is seeking an all-American figure he feels personally comfortable with and fits the 'central casting' image of a justice, including having that perfect spouse standing at their side.
'Beyond the qualifications, what really matters is, does this nominee fit a central casting image for a Supreme Court nominee, as well as his or her spouse,' the Republican close to the White House told Politico. 'That's a big deal. Do they fit the role?'
And a White House official involved in the vetting process told Axios the president's choice will come down to 'who he feels most comfortable with in a personal setting.'
Trump is known for favoring the personal touch and likes to go with his gut. White House aides have often said the president prefers to go with his intuition, which is why, for example, he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un personally in Singapore.
And his intuition could be the deciding factor in his replacement for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Trump said he will announce his choice on Monday but White House aides are said to be prepared for the decision to come at any time.
'When the president has made up his mind, he wants to go,' an aide told Axios.
Staff are said to be telling the president he will get more coverage if he waits for Congress to return to Washington D.C. and after this holiday week, but they also know how unpredictable Trump can be.
But, for the contenders, the deciding factor may be more than their resume or judicial writings.

superbeets · Jul 5, 2018

One of the appealing factors to Trump about his last Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch, was his wife Marie Louise Gorsuch.
The president picked up on the easy chemistry between the couple, Politico reported, and requested she stand next to her husband when Trump formally nominated Gorsuch.
Trump reportedly considered the two a picture-perfect couple.
Some of the potential nominees have picked up on the president's preferences and are essentially running two courting campaigns: one aimed at the president who will pick them and another aimed at the senators who will confirm them.
'There's a primary and there's a general election, and what helps you in one often hurts you in another,' David Lat, the founding editor of the legal news site Above The Law, told Politico. 'Right now, the surrogates for all of these candidates know their audience is the base and the White House.'
An example is the photograph of Kavanaugh that is circulating.
In it, Kavanaugh is being sworn to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit by Justice Anthony Kennedy, while his wife, Ashley, dressed in a pale pink suit and pearls, holds the Bible.

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President Trump is said to have 'loved' Raymond Kethledge in his interview

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President Trump has said he will announce his Supreme Court pick Monday but aides are prepared for it to come at any time

superbeets · Jul 5, 2018

'It looks all-American,' a source told Politico of the picture, which is said to be something that appeals to the president.
Trump is said to want to appoint a woman but Coney Barrett could face the most divisive confirmation hearing of all the contenders if Democrats grill the judge, a devout conservative Catholic, about her stance on abortion.
But Coney Barrett's devotion is also part of her appeal - the president likes that she is loved by his base.
However, she doesn't have the Ivy League pedigree Trump is said to want as part of his central casting requirement and a source told Politico she performed poorly in her interview with Trump.
Kethledge is seen by some as a dark-horse contender.
His background appears to appeal to both Trump and the Senate.
Although he lacks the Ivy League pedigree - he went to University of Michigan Law School - he's a hunter, a fisherman and an outdoorsman, traits not to be discounted as it would make it hard for Democrats in the Senate like Sen. Jon Tester or Heidi Heitkamp to oppose him.
And he is has one other thing going for him, Trump is said to love him.
A source familiar with the interviews the president conducted last week told Politico Trump 'loved' Kethledge and hit it off with him.
All three contenders are married and have children.
Kavanaugh, 53, and Kethledge, 51, are both former law clerks to Kennedy. Coney Barrett, 46, is a former law clerk to the late Justice Antonin Scalia and was appointed by Trump last year to serve on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Barrett, if selected and confirmed, would be the youngest justice on the high court.
The White House maintains the nominee will be smart and qualified for the job.
'The President's nominee to replace Justice Kennedy will have tremendous intellect, judicial temperament, and impeccable qualifications,' White House spokesman Raj Shah told Politico. 'He or she above all will have a duty to uphold the law and the Constitution.'
The politics of the pick are said to matter less the president.
'It's not going to be an analysis of Pennsylvania politics,' a source told Axios of Trump's thinking.
The president also takes comfort in the list of 25 names he is working off of, put together with the help of the conservative Federalist Society.
As long as he sticks to the list, insiders tell Politico, he knows he can worry about the optics since who ever he choices has been vetted on ideology.
And the president is said to prize the personal above all else.
When he nominated Navy Admiral Ronny Jackson – the White House physician – to oversee the Department of Veterans Affairs it was done, in part, because Trump liked him personally.
Trump praised Jackson to donors during a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago in February.
'He's like central casting – like a Hollywood star,' Trump said, according to an audio recording of his remarks obtained by CNN.
That nomination didn't work out - Jackson withdrew after a controversy over prescriptions he wrote - but it demonstrated the qualities the president prefers in his nominees.
When Trump considered Mitt Romney for his secretary of state, officials said the president believed Romney 'looks the part of a top diplomat right out of 'central casting.'