During Tuesday’s World News Tonight, ABC revealed their key concerns with Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court. Along with speculation of him helping to overturn Roe v. Wade, the network boosted Democratic worries that efforts to prosecute the President via the special counsel would end.
Sensationalist anchor David Muir even spelled it out when he introduced the segment. “Judge Kavanaugh’s views on abortion and on what he said about criminal investigations involving a sitting president will also be under the microscope,” he told viewers. “But, do Democrats have the math to do anything about this nomination?”
After sharing liberal concerns about Roe v. Wade possibly being overturned because of a more conservative Supreme Court, chief White House correspondent Jon Karl highlighted Kavanaugh’s very public record. “With Kavanaugh, there's unlikely to be many secrets he has a massive public record, from his 12 years as a federal judge, his experience as an official in the Bush White House, and as a key lieutenant of independent counsel Kenneth Starr during the investigation of Bill Clinton,” he recalled.
Using that last point as a springboard, Karl noted Kavanaugh’s apparent change of opinion: “Years later, he questioned the merits of investigating a president, writing, quote, ‘The indictment and trial of a sitting president would cripple the federal government rendering it unable to function with credibility.’” “Democrats are pouncing on that,” he added.
That gave way to back-to-back-to-back clips of Democratic Senators hyperbolically condemning the nomination on those grounds:
CHUCK SCHUMER (NY): No investigation of a president. Is it any wonder that President Trump chose Kavanaugh?
CORY BOOKER (NJ): He chose the one person that has written that he should have immunity from any investigation.
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (CT): Judge Kavanaugh, if he is a justice, will be the swing vote in deciding whether he can pardon himself. Get out of jail free pass.
As he was wrapping up his report, Karl admitted that while “Democrats are already hit that hard … many of them would likely have agreed with Kavanaugh back when he wrote that in 2009.”
“The Vice President was just asked a little while ago whether or not Kavanaugh's views on that had anything to do with the president's decision to nominate him. Vice President Pence said, quote, ‘I don't believe it did,’” Karl added as the segment finished.
Meanwhile, on NBC Nightly News, Justice correspondent Pete Williams didn’t focus solely on liberal concerns about Kavanaugh. His actually noted some conservative questions too. “Some conservatives lobbied against Kavanaugh citing his decent last year in a court battle involving a teenager arrested for illegally entering the U.S. who wanted to be released to have an abortion.”
He also recalled that some conservatives wanted a harsher ruling against the girl and were upset that, in another case, he didn’t declare ObamaCare unconstitutional in 2011.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC's World News Tonight
July 10, 2018
6:38:24 PM EasternDAVID MUIR: We’re going to turn next to the Supreme Court battle heating up tonight. President Trump's nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, arriving at the Capitol today to meet with the Senators who will decide his fate. Judge Kavanaugh’s views on abortion and on what he said about criminal investigations involving a sitting president will also be under the microscope. But, do Democrats have the math to do anything about this nomination? Here's our chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl tonight.
[Cuts to video]
(…)
JON KARL: With Kavanaugh, there's unlikely to be many secrets. He has a massive public record, from his 12 years as a federal judge, his experience as an official in the Bush White House, and as a key lieutenant of independent counsel Kenneth Starr during the investigation of Bill Clinton. Years later, he questioned the merits of investigating a president, writing, quote, “The indictment and trial of a sitting president would cripple the federal government rendering it unable to function with credibility.” Democrats are pouncing on that.
CHUCK SCHUMER: No investigation of a president. Is it any wonder that President Trump chose Kavanaugh?
CORY BOOKER: He chose the one person that has written that he should have immunity from any investigation.
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: Judge Kavanaugh, if he is a justice, will be the swing vote in deciding whether he can pardon himself. Get out of jail free pass.
[Cuts back to live]
MUIR: All right, Jon Karl with us live again tonight from the White House. And Jon, as you reported right there, Brett Kavanaugh, an architect of the Starr report. That, of course, the investigation into Bill Clinton when he was impeached. But on the other hand, he also wrote in 2009 that, quote, “The indictment and trial of a sitting president would cripple the federal government, rendering it unable to function with credibility.” A lot of Democrats seizing on those words because of the current Mueller investigation.
KARL: Democrats are already hit that hard, David. Although many of them would likely have agreed with Kavanaugh back when he wrote that in 2009. The Vice President was just asked a little while ago whether or not Kavanaugh's views on that had anything to do with the president's decision to nominate him. Vice President Pence said, quote, “I don't believe it did.”
