only a mom can. >> reporter: he was confirmed 57-36. he's been a judge for 12 years and says the years with bush made him a better one. in a 2009 law review article, he said that experience convinced him that presidents should not be subjected to lawsuits or criminal investigations while in office, but said congress should change the law to provide that exemption. republican leaders in the senate had told the president that kavanaugh might be harder to get through confirmation because of his extensive record as a judge in the bush administration and working for kenneth starr. president trump apparently believes kavanaugh is worth the trouble. yasmin. >> thank you, pete williams, for that report. in what has become a tradition of sorts during his time in office, president trump chose to treat his unveiling of brett kavanaugh as his supreme court nominee like a prime time tv special. hours before last night's announcement, msnbc contributor