Clerked for Justice Anthony kennedy. Joining me now to analyze the pick is brit hume, former whitewater independent counsel ken starr who was judge kavanaughs boss during the investigations into bill clinto bill clinton. Justice walker. And at the white house, leonard leo, the president s top outside advisor on judicial picks. Leonard, weve got to go to you first. Congratulations. You are kind of the men of the moment because youve been working this process behind the scenes. We were both in that room together when Brett Kavanaugh walked out. His father comes out first, his mother. Mrs. Scalia was there. Two sons of mr. Scalia and general niece, edwin meese from the reagan administration, former attorney general. What is you feel . I know what i felt. A tremendous sense of history going all the way back to the reagan administration. The idea of transforming the federal judiciary to respect the constitution at the law and seeing brett and his beautiful family, it was an electric evening, a magical evening. Laura 12 years on the Circuit Court of appeals. For people who arent really into the Legal Organization of the courts, the d. C. Circuit is the Second Highest Court for all intents and purposes. Theres a lot of administered of law cases decided there, kind of a lot of geeky cases. A lot of cases that come right out of the Administrative Law process. Judge kavanaugh dealt with a lot of those cases. Doesnt have a lot of judicial opinions on the First Amendment that concerned some conservatives. Should they be concerned . Hes got a couple cases on religious freedom which is really important. He has one really Important Campaign finance case and hes got all these cases involving the Administrative State where he gets into the whole issue of how government needs to be accountable and transparent. Separation of powers needs to be respected. Its an incredible record. Almost 300 300 opinions. Laura he said, this is what stuck in my mind. It sounds kind of trite. I revere the constitution. Like, everyone says they revere the constitution but full disclosure i have known brett for 27 years. He does revere the constitution. People were criticizing him over the last 72 hours because he was staff secretary, ran the paper flow for bush 43. Bush 43 did not support this president , did not vote for this president. Conservatives that he comes out of the bush administration. How can we trust him to be a scalia or a thomas or a gorsuch or a alito. What do you say to those who are still doubting Brett Kavanaugh tonight . You have known him a long time. He has dedicated his entire life to defending the constitution of the rule of law. He understand what makes a judge most fair is that you interpret the laws written and enforced on respect the limits of in the constitution. He said that tonight. Laura stay there. Were going to stay with leonard for most of the show tonight. Brett, i have to go to you. Youve been standing here doing so many of these years for battles for Supreme Court nominations. What is your sense after hearing judge kavanaugh speak tonight when the resistance out there from so many senators. They said were not going to support anyone whom this president nominates. I think judge kavanaugh gave a perfectly fine account of himself tonight. He seems to have an attractive family and he seems to be a nice young man. He seems young to me, anyway. 53 years old. Thats young at this stage of my life. I have to tell you after the announcement, i watched some of the reaction on our competing channels. I must tell you that its already starting. He has rendered a number of decisions for example reining in the Administrative State here in washington. He will be portrayed, laura, i can tell you without any fear of contradiction is the enemy of the environment, a defender of big interests against the little guy and so on down the line. Its a litany youve heard before, and we are going to hear it again. It will get very loud and it will probably be almost 100 humbug but its going to be out there and he needs to be well prepared to defend himself in the hearings. The white house and those supporting this nomination better prepared to rebut the allegations. Laura judge star, youve been in the thick of it yourself with the left opposing any sense that you might ultimately rise to the court. At one point during your career, they painted you as a guy, like you couldnt be trusted with these sacrosanct rights to abortion in the constitution and all these other social issues. You have seen it close up. What this city is like to dedicated professionals who are dedicated to the rule of law, the constitution and originalism and textualism. Your reaction to brett. He practiced law together. Brett kavanaugh is the real thing. I predict that he will be confirmed. Its going to be i guess easy for some people to vote against him but hes going to wear well. Hes the real thing. Hes the goodness, of kindness and spirit that we saw tonight as a statement. What we heard tonight really came from brechts heart ive known him since he was coming off the Justice Kennedy clerkship. What you see with brett is what you get. Hes going to be substantively come i think were going to have a different conversation. We are going to have the political conversation thats unfolding, as brit just said. I think its going to be a deeper confrontation. I hope there will be. A deeper conversation. What do we want for Supreme Court to be . What do we want a Supreme Court justice to be . We can use short shorthand terms and they are helpful. I would also say do we want to restore the traditions of other justices. Ryland white byron white believed fervently in we the people and the ability of us to govern ourselves. It is the right of we the people to govern ourselves. Judge kavanaugh has the advantage, in addition to being so steeped in those principles, to understand what we have been talking about and thats the Administrative State and the need for accountability. He has been a very powerful voice that fundamental principl principle. Laura justin, you clerked for Anthony Kennedy and for judge kavanaugh. Justice kennedy has hired seven of judge kavanaughs clerks over the years, meaning Justice Kennedy puts judge kavanaugh in high regard. Very high regard. You are one of the clerks. Again, going back to the conservatives who were going nuts over the past 72 hours saying these and other david souter. Okay, you are shooting yourself in your own foot. What can you tell our viewers at fox tonight about their relationship, Anthony Kennedy and judge kavanaughs relationship and does not extend to their jurisprudential outlook on some of these more hot button cases. Thanks, laura. They both absolutely revere the constitution. I cant imagine how proud Justice Kennedy must be that his successor will be not only one of his former clerks but a former clerk who Justice Kennedy talked about in chambers all the time. He would point to the chair where judge kavanaugh sat when judge kavanaugh was a clerk and he would say brett was always there in the morning when i came in. He was always there at night when i left. I would say brett, go home. He worked too hard but he would never go home. He just absolutely is probably bursting with pride right now i judge kavanaughs nomination. You know, i guess i also think america is probably i think they are going to fall in love with judge kavanaugh. I think they are going to be some senators will find it very difficult vote against such a family man, for the patriot, someone who has spent the past 12 years in the secondhighest court writing 300 opinions. 300 times out of 300 times. Adhered to the constitution, adhere to text and approach every matter in an impartial, fair, independent way. Laura brit, you alluded to the caustic nature of this process. I want to play for all of you part of what Mitch Mcconnell said today on the senate floor about how the sky is always following when a republican nominates someone to the court. Watch. We are looking at the destruction of the constitution of the United States as far as i can tell. Its hard to keep a straight face when you hear stuff like that. Please give the American People some credit. Decade after decade, nominee after nominee, the far left script hardly changes at all. Anyone and everyone a republican president nominates to the Supreme Court is some kind of threat to the republic. Laura brit, that was about as animated as you you and i he ever seen senator mcconnell. Trying to crack jokes. I mean, as great of a speech as judge kavanaugh gave tonight, coaching basketball and the story about his parents who were incredible people. The left doesnt care about any vat. This is about abortion and gay marriage, correct . It is about those kinds of issues and abortion particular. Gives you a sense of what this issue and its seizure by the Supreme Court in, walked, 1973 has done to our politics and our judicial system. This is an issue that i think its reasonable to argue should have been settled by the legislative process. Let the people decide what the law ought to be. The Supreme Court devised a right that no one had previously detected in the constitution for that and weve been fighting this battle ever since. Far from settling the issue, it has animated and some might say poisoned our politics to a great extent ever since. Here we are again, and once again that issue comes to the fore. Its the enduring political and moral issue of our time and one which the courts have had far more to do with them they probably should have, and that is the approach that judges like Brett Kavanaugh and others who are on this list would have stood against. That is why the democrats and their allies are so opposed to such nominees, because they are accustomed now to winning these victories on social policy and other issues fight judicial fiat. They are not able to enact them in the legislative process and thats why theres so much at stake with a nomination like this which tips the balance of discipline court. This may be, as judge starr suggests, an edifying process. I am just a political reporter. Im looking at what im seeing and its looking pretty rough. Laura leonard, Chuck Schumer was on the Senate Floor Today and it was like doing speeches. We may have some of that sound. Do we have some of that sound question will get to it later. He was up there. Brit was right. He was hitting the gong about how this was an alarm bell for the left and democrats. This is doordie. Youve got to stop this. My question is, if Brett Kavanaugh is solidly conservative, he is maybe not scalia in a full on textualist. If he is replacing someone whos usually conservative, judicially conservative, i am saying, is it that big of a swing on the court . Given the last years opinions by this court where Anthony Kennedy was with the 54 majority on every opinion of great consequence . Thats a really good point, laura. You are going to see a lot of scare tactics. Justice kennedy was for the most part a conservative justice, especially on issues of separation of powers, federalism, areas of religious freedom, free exercise in particular. We saw the last term he voted with the conservative majority. 75 of the time. This is hyped up. This is really hyped up. Of course, we know why. Because the left wants to have a court that is outcomebased. They want to make sure that they get results from the court they know they cant get through the political process. Laura judge starr, i think that hits the nail on the head, does it not . We now have a federal court system that is doing the difficult and the ugly job of legislating from the bench. Issue after issue. Barack obama had a profound effect. Justin, you know this as well, had a profound effect on our judicial rate with the he got through, even with some of the delays in the last few years. He transformed the fourth Circuit Court of appeals. You know well, judge starr. He transformed that court with his nominations. Laura, this is not in fact what the founding generation intended. When we go back to Alexander Hamilton, the Alexander Hamilton of broadway fame, and we read his federalist 78. What he said so eloquently any scented in the about four pages. Every school child in america should read it and now every grownup shed. That this, the judiciary is the least dangerous branch. Why . Because its not going to be imposing its will on the American People. It is simply going to be exercising judgment. Thats what i call the grand tradition in american constitutionalist law. John marshall all boy through so many justices who are revered even to a great extent by the left, like Louis Brandeis and benjamin cardozo. They would not in fact count on the scare tactics. This is beyond the pale. But also the jurisprudential approach that we just care about results. We are here to make what we believe to be the most humane and compassionate public policy. Thats what we are here to do. No, thats not what we are here to do. When i say we, i am talking about the courts of the land. You are to be stewards of the law and take the text, talking about the text, the text is so terribly important. Meditate on that text but dont just make it up. That is a great divide thats going to i think divide the United States senate. Laura justin, again, former clerk for both Justice Kennedy and judge kavanaugh. Kavanaugh said this, alluding to what judge starr just said about reverence for the constitution. Lets watch. Tomorrow i begin meeting with members of the senate which plays an essential role in this process. I will tell each senator that i revere the constitution. I believe that an independent judiciary is the crown jewel of our constitutional republic. If confirmed by the senate, i will keep an open mind in every case, and i will always strive to preserve the constitution of the United States and the american rule of law. Laura justin, for all these suspicious conservatives out there who remember david souter who was trotted around the senate, met all the senators in the day, and he turned out to be a judge, very nice man but who ultimately evolved toward a much more judicially liberal point of reference regarding the constitution. His judge kavanaugh the type of judge who would evolve, again, for all those critics out there on the right and there really shouldnt be any left, who would evolve toward the more liberal block on this court, what can you say to that . I would point out first of all that when i took judge kavanaughs class as a second year law student, the very first thing he assigned in the constitutional law class was to read the constitution. This was actually a pretty surprising assignment and some law schools. As you know, the read case after case and sometimes you take a whole constitutional law class without reading the constitution. I think the left, right, and center, anybody who comes to this question with an open mind is going to find a judge who has been spent 12 years adhering to the structure and history and meaning and text of the constitution and doing so in such a fairminded way. You know, he mentioned in his speech that the man one who hid him, justice kagan. Three left of center justices have hired clerks of justice kavanaugh. Left, right, center, judge kavanaugh is so easy to admire. Laura given this historic night, we appreciate your input. Leonard leo is going to stay with us. The rest of you, thank you so much, critical analysis from all of you. Its been an hour since President Trump announced the Supreme Court nominee. The left, sb five reference, already in full resistance mode. Just a few miles from here in the Supreme Court. Should i walk down and hang out with them . I we will be there next. Ts me ak for heart attack or stroke. 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So stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area. Tell your doctor your medical history. Gallbladder problems have happened in some people. Tell your doctor right away if you get symptoms. Taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion, and constipation. Side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. Change the course of your treatment. Ask your doctor about victoza®. Laura if you are just joining us, President Trump earlier tonight named conservative Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to replace the retiring Justice Anthony kennedy on the Supreme Court. Chief White House Correspondent john roberts joins us now to explain why the president went with the 53yearold judge from the d. C. Court of appeals. I feel like im intruding on your space here. Fox news. Laura it is the super bowl for me. It is the super bowl for a lot of people. Everybody we talked to today said i think this. Somebody else said no, its exactly the opposite. Tom hardimans people were saying the reason is the president didnt make the decision until late last night. He called kavanaugh. He called on mcgann. He had told three other people that they were on the list and because the decision was so late, the white house had to prepare four background packages, even asking each one of the nominees who they would put on their guest list if they were chosen. Laura how depressing. If you are one of the other people and you have your guest list, thats kind of sad. I feel bad for them. Laura this information was out there so people supporting the individual candidates that weve been asked for a guest list to that must mean our person is the candidate. When it came down to it, it came to Brett Kavanaugh who the president said all along he was the front runner. He believes he can gain get confirmed through the process. By the first of october. Leonard will tell you thats an important date because of they cant get it done by then, it might get kicked until after the election. What democrat is going to allow a nomination to come to the floor before the new senate is in. Laura ive heard theres been resistance to kavanaughs building up inside the white house and ive been getting texts and emails from people saying what are you hearing . Seems like theres some criticism of kavanaughs record. Even h mcconnell was concerned because kavanaugh had worked with george starr who just joined us in the previous segment and is part of the independent counsel in whitewater. That that was going to be difficult, also because he was staff secretary to bush 43 who didnt even support President Trump. I think ive got to say its to President Trumps credit that that didnt dissuade him. It didnt dissuade him. He sat right outside the oval office for bush 43 for five years. Heres the tough thing about doing television with laura, she knows far more about you know far more about this than i do but i do no there was some resistance not necessarily in the white house but among some people particularly the 2011 Obamacare Decision where he ruled in his opinion that the individual mandate was a tax as opposed to a penalty and said we dont have the jurisdiction to hear this case because the tax doesnt kick in until 2015. Laura he is a Circuit Court judge. Judge Amy Coney Barrett has written about it. Then there was an idea that he was very tight with the bushes. He met his wife ashley in 2001 and talked about that day because i was here at the white house when we are all told to evacuate the white house because they thought there was a plane coming in here. It was flight 93. People thought he was a little bit too tight with the bush administration. The fact that he actually nominated him and put him out there with such conviction as he did tonight really was quite extra ordinary. Laura its going to be a fun several weeks. John roberts, thank you so much. In your territory here. Everyone has alluded to, the left is already in full resistance mode over judge kavanaugh. Leftwing agitators and politicians began protesting his nomination in front of the Supreme Court almost as soon as President Trump made the announcement. We must ensure we defeat Brett Kavanaugh. All our rights are at stake. He will endanger our fundamental freedoms. He must not become the next justice on the Supreme Court. What that will take is all of us fighting as hard and as long as we can. We wont stand for any nominee no Brett Kavanaugh who wants to take away our Constitutional Rights. [chanting laura they must have had a lot of different signs. The leftwing center for american progress, joining me for reaction, croissant, former former advisor to Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer. Matthew lemke, attorney in alabama who clerked for Justice Kennedy. Its great to have you on. Matt, lets start with you. Justice kennedy for whom you clerked, im wondering what he is thinking tonight. He is probably over the moon. That association with both Justice Kennedy and the bushes did give a lot of conservatives, before we get into the resistance, pause about judge kavanaugh, whether he would be the right type of justice, whether he would evolve in the role. Matt, you know brent and you know Justice Kennedy. What are your thoughts after watching this all unfold . I think its a great night for Justice Kennedy. Hes got to be immensely proud that his law clerk has been nominated to the courts. It will be his second law clerk on the court if judge kavanaugh is confirmed because of course judge Justice Gorsuch also clerked for Justice Kennedy. There is a 12 year record of 300 decisions by judge kavanaugh that show that he is a principal conservatives who believes in judicial restraint and believes that hes not the 101st senator or some of her legislator. Instead he is there to interpret the law. President trump had four great candidates. I think any one them would made out of a terrific nominee and people had their favorites. I think people will rally around, all conservatives will rally around judge kavanaugh because he really is a principled conservative we can count on. Laura accept the protesters. Chris, that is your party. They had all their preprinted signs. You had the naral people and planned parenthood. The center for american progress. Im trying to put myself as an outside observer which is hard given my background. None of that seemed attractive to me. It seemed for form and it seems like it doesnt matter who the president nominated. He could have nominated Merrick Garland. They wouldve probably had a resist garland sign. If he would have nominated garland, i would hear talking about how great a President Donald Trump is. But i will say this. Merrick garland, it all comes back to it. Thats what set this up, right . The leftwing of the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party as a whole has no choice but to resist this nominee. Regardless of his qualifications, regardless of his background, because they feel like theyre nominee was stolen by Mitch Mcconnell two years ago. As a result, we are in for probably the super bowl of all super bowls of battles in congress over the next couple weeks i think october 1 is a very aggressive deadline especially given the fact that he has 300 decisions that people are going to have to wade through and understand. Going to get a lot of questions on those. I remember i heard mr. Leo talk about odorless papers. My favorite is federalist 51. Ambition much must counteract ambition. Congress has lacked ambition and the court as a last resort. Democrats have to take that into account when they look into his background. Laura Bernie Sanders without their and full resistance mode. After judge kavanaughs announcement tonight by the president but bernie was, all hot and bothered. Lets watch. What we are talking about here is, in a moment in American History where we have a right wing extremist controlling the house, the senate and the white house, if we appoint another rightwing extremist to the Supreme Court, i have very serious concerns about justice in this country and what will happen to the men, women, and children in the future of our nation. Laura i think the left is going to try to use this to whip up votes in the fall on the Midterm Election cycle. Thats why they want to put this off if they can until after the midterms. I think theyre not going to be able to do that what your reaction. Bernie sanders is still very popular. Filled stadiums unlike other people who wanted to be president. Your reaction to his comments tonight before the court announcement . Well, i think its ironic that this whole thing has occurred because Hillary Clinton rigged the whole democratic process so Bernie Sanders couldnt get traction and now here we are. Conservatives are grateful that donald trump is making the second great pick. No matter who had been picked. The gorsuch situation, democrats have blank signs and they took markers and they filled in the blanks as to who was the person they are going to be protesting. Im sure that was happening today as well in d. C. It doesnt matter who it is. Doesnt matter who it was. Couldve been anyone on that list of 25 or any conservative and the same hysterical reaction wouldve been there. Its an hour later, not even an hour later, and blood is already running in the streets according to these people. Out remember the same crowd, naral, now, they said Justice Souter was going to overturn roe v. Wade. We have been hearing this. Its not down to Merrick Garlan garland. Hysteria over reaction dating back to bork and before. Each time, they got it wrong and it is the boy who called wolf. Laura match, we have 15 seconds. If theres one thing Brett Kavanaugh could do to sway collins or murkowski, do you think theyre going to be a problem ultimately . I think hes going to emphasize the importance, the idea that courts should be hesitant to overturn precedent. An independent judiciary. Laura we are out of time. Will be right back. Stay there. In the comfort of home. Home instead senior care. My mom was a trailblazer. When i was ten, she went to law school and become became a pro. My introduction to law came at the dinner table when she practice her closing arguments. Her trademark line was use your common sense. What rings true, what rings false. Thats good advice for a juror and for a son. Laura judge kavanaugh seems like, i dont know, an obvious win for republicans. People are grousing on the other networks. We will talk about it. His proven record of protecting the constitution and has not been afraid to court controversy. Controversy. How was his nomination going to play or politically . Should republicans rush to confirm him or should leave this opportunity to motivate voters in the Midterm Elections . Interesting theory there. Joining me to discuss, our esteemed pollsters. Also we continue with leonard leo. The president s outside advisor on judicial nominees whos been with the president and inside the white house on this from the very beginning. Its great to have all of you on. Leonard, we were just talking about this issue of murkowski and collins, two republican senators who are prochoice and to the left had been courting to oppose this nominee. Can our viewers at fox tonight assume that they have been consulted on this nomination . Or is the president confident that in the end, they will vote to confirm judge kavanaugh . The president spoke with senator collins. Senator collins made it clear what the road map is for confirmation. She said she wanted a judge was going to adhere to the constitution and the laws and she wanted someone who was going to respect major precedent in the court. If you look at Brett Kavanaughs record, thats what you get. You get someone who struggles in grapples with precedent. He knows its important and youve got to figure it out. And he adheres to the constitution and the laws. We will see what happens but she has certainly given herself and other moderates in the senate some space. Laura frank, you have an interesting theory about whether this vote to confirm this nominee is best rushed before the beginning of the court determined early october or held until after the Midterm Election cycle. When i first heard it, i was like, has frank lost his mind . Explain this because i got more interesting as i thought about it as the day went on. I think Chuck Schumer is right. I hope that the republicans follow his advice. Two reasons. First is that we need a conversation about the constitution. Right now in 2018. The longer we have this conversation, i think a better conservatives are going to do because in the end when you talk about freedom of speech, the press, religion, and talk about the bill of rights and the ten amendments, i think the longer the conversation goes, the better conservatives do ever want to educate the American People on why that document is so important. Second, conservatives are much more focused on the Supreme Court then liberals are. Conservatives are more likely to get out and vote. This is the only issue that galvanizes republicans to participate in this Midterm Election. So yes, senator schumer, i do hope you get that extended period to have this conversation. It will elect at least two more republican senators. It may even save the republicans in the house because every conservative will vote to ensure that this man, a strict supporter of the constitution, becomes the next Supreme Court justice. Its that significant in the american political process. Laura interesting, mark penn, the poll with hart about last week, i thought it was interesting about whether we whether the confirmation vote should take place before the metrics are after and 62 according to the nbc pulse peshmerga before. I think it probably freaked out Chuck Schumer and company. Most people said before. What about your pal franks idea. Thats a republican perspective. I think its interesting but i am someone, light, a bird in the hand. Get this done, get him in. I get paranoid about waiting too long on these things although i think its an interesting idea. I had a philosophy about nomination and endorsements. Get this done as quickly as possible because you never know what tomorrow brings. Right now we can protest but we aint going to do anything about this nomination unless something significant is found in his record which has not happened with neil gorsuch. I think the longer this plays out, the more plays to the democratic advantage. Twothirds of the people in this country would not overturn roe vs. Wade. Even though abortion itself is a closely split issue. Second trimester and third trimester abortions most people want only under limited circumstances. They do not want to overturn and reopen social wounds in this country and they think that any nominee that would do that will probably take the country in the wrong direction. The more this reopens the wounds, it makes for a more divisive society. Laura heres the problem. Hold on. Heres the problem with that. The problem with that is you have someone like Brett Kavanaugh who listen to his speech tonight, how he spoke, how he spoke with not only reverence about the constitution but the process. Looking forward to meeting with senators, being an independent jurist. I think most fairminded people, not the agitators at the courts tonight, but most americans watching him tonight if they see even a snippet of that, they are going to think hes not a firebreathing dragon. Hes not going to rip up the constitution and put women in jail. That doesnt strike most people. I think that image tonight at the courts hurts the democrats morning, noon, and nights. I dont like its attractive. I dont think those women out there tonight help the democrats at all. Frank, your thoughts about what we heard tonight. Apparently on another network tonight, cnn, Rick Santorum was criticizing Brett Kavanaugh. Criticizing him. What is that all about . This country, this country needs civics. Its not taught in high schools. Its not taught in colleges. We need our next generation to understand the importance of the constitution and how this government operates. The longer that we have this discussion, it may not be about politics, but absolutely is about the next generation and to understand where they constitution matters, the bill of rights matter. We should not be politicizing everything. These protesters and the extremism being articulated is one of the things thats driving this country apart. It is driving people insane. I love the fact that this president made this very calm, very conscientious choice, that he chose someone committed to the constitution and i think that the longer we have this conversation, the better its going to be for america in the long run. Laura leonard leo, thats a risky idea of putting up a confirmation vote. I get what frank is saying and i think thats one of the main reasons people wanted donald trump a lot of reasons, immigration, trade. This court became a really big issue in the president ial election, the Supreme Court. Huge. Would you be in favor of letting this thing play out longer than the beginning of the new term at the courts . Or do you agree with mark pender that would be a gift to the democrats . The faster you can get it done, the better. The president made this a defining issue in the president ial campaign. He rallied a lot of voters around it. He won in part because of it. He continue that momentum by nominating neil gorsuch. This is a train that is moved at a great pace of the last couple years and i think that pace should continue. Laura what about santorum . Hugh hewitt, one was the last time he was right about a Major Political issue . No offense. I like him as a person. Anyone whos read Brett Kavanaughs opinions knows what he stands for. A lot of these folks are probably saying the way he didnt come out on the health care case. He had a prior precedent he followed. I think its a red herring. We do stay there. Leonard is going to stay with us to discuss the suggestion that the president could get yet another Supreme Court vacancy. Raymond arroyo in the theater of the Supreme Court nomination. No contract. All with nationwide coverage. Tracfone. For moments that matter. Laura all right, i am so excited. This has been such an incredible night. When it comes to potential Supreme Court nominees, no one has the president s ear more than leonard leo who is now himself under fire. Thats the way it goes. You step in the flames, youre going to get some heat. Leonard is with us. The left is so brutal. Anyone who has had with his president , i on pretty much any issue has become a target. You are now a target and Chuck Schumer address this today on the senate floor. Lets watch. No one has been more dedicated to the enterprise of building a Supreme Court that will overturn roe v. Wade then the federalist societies leonard leo, the very man who chose the list of 25 thats what we are up against here. Thats why america is on tenterhooks. Laura when he does this, he is really serious. When he goes will quote no one. I have known you for a couple decades at least and you dont strike me as this scary dude who is going to shred the constitution and put people, put Constitutional Rights in the dumpster. But you have now become part of the story, and how does that feel . You are a mildmannered guy who cares about the rule of law. A lot of people say why doesnt leonard go on the court . How did i feel today . This is insulting and offensive to the president. He made the Supreme Court a defining issue in the election. He took ownership of the list. The list was his idea, his idea. Laura great idea. Propelled him to victory and helped told the senate. He continued that momentum with neil gorsuch. He has been in the drivers seat this entire process. This is not outsourced. This is the president. If he owns this process. Senator schumer, he is just hysterical, and they are going to be hysterical through this process. Thats just what we are going to have to deal with. The American People are going to see through it because they love the constitution. They love the constitution. Laura they say you guys coming republicans, didnt give barack obama Merrick Garland. Of course, senator mcconnell blocked that nomination from going forward. Didnt even get a vote on him. They think now its payback time. Well, if the American People didnt like it, they didnt have to elect donald trump but guess what. They did. And the American People gave us neil gorsuch. Laura my sources are saying that the president was extremely handson in the process. And was doing his own due diligence. He was calling people. He was crossreferencing claims about certain nominees. He liked all of the, all four of them very much. Is that accurate . As people, oneonone relationships. He was as transparent and engaged as any president. He met at length with these nominees. He asked questions. He talked democrats and republicans. He was on the golf course over the weekend on the phone half the time talking to people about this process. I have never seen anything like it. The democrats are complaining that its a corrupt, secret game. Of course not. This president has been out there working hard on this for a long time. Expedia what do you say to the never trumpers . People who say the democrats should take over november because this president , this is not a true republican president. George will, max booth, others who sometimes appear on our own network as well. They are just adamant to block. People, supposedly republicans, adamant to block this nomination. The Supreme Court and the constitution has always been that the heart of the g. O. P. Agenda and i hope this process as Brett Kavanaugh unfolds what he believes in, that some of those people will begin to realize that this president has played an incredibly transformative, multigenerational role in helping to restore the constitution and the rule of law. Laura not going to be a souter . Sticker thats absurd. Laura thank you for spending so much time. Come back anytime. We will do a dramatic number, movie a duet. Up next, the most dramatic moments in Supreme Court nomination history. Raymond arroyo will break down the theater of the process. Battery in your smart lock . Maybe not. Maybe you could trust you wont have to actually talk to your neighbor. Are you watching the game tonight . Or. You could just trust duracell. You could just trust duracell. Where were making the next generation of multiscreen welcadvertising possible. Ght, we have the broad and targeted reach you need to access the customers youre looking for on tv and digital platforms. Then we connect you to our team of media experts, who are ready to help you maximize your budget while elevating your advertising effectiveness. Sounds like an advertising opportunity knocking. Visit comcastspotlight. Com today. Laura you all know Supreme Court confirmation hearings have produced some of the most dramatic moments in Senate History and couldnt contain some lessons for judge kevin. Joining us now from new orleans to discuss the theater of the confirmation process, bestselling author and Fox News Contributor raymond arroyo. I know you spent the day watching old scotus hearings. I pulled some because as i looked at the nominee, this is a man, as youve been mentioning, 13 years on the federal bench. What many people forget, he was part of the whitewater investigation. He wrote the kent starr report which had the articles of impeachment or at least suggested impeachment of president clinton. He worked with the bush administration. I expect and as i watched these hearings who may put me in mind of ted kennedy who dredged up robert borks past history, as political history working for richard nixon. Heres what he said. The man who fired Archibald Cox does not deserve to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States. Robert borks america is a land in which women would be forced into back alley abortions. Blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters. Rogue police could break down citizens doors and Midnight Raids and schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution. Writers and artists would be censored at the whim of government. Laura, i think we are going to hear that type of language, that Dystopian Nightmare will be painted again. The black alley abortions, they are going to try to paint kavanaugh with that same brush. It worked in the case of judge bork because he was very defensive. He was very defensive and sharp and didnt quite know how to fight back and clear his name. Laura i remember. I was working at the white house when that went down and i loved judge bork of course. The charm factor wasnt on display during those hearings. And he kicked puppies too. Im surprised ted kennedy didnt say that. Elena kagan, associate justice, she had a very interesting way of dealing with tough questions. Watch this exchange from 2010. Christmas day bomber. Where are you at . I should ask exactly what you mean . Where are you out on christmas . [laughs] you know, like all jews, i was probably in a chinese restauran restaurant. Laura she was hilarious. Speak about hearing was like standup comedy. Brett kavanaugh should watch something. He can take that light touch which we saw some of tonight when he was announced. He has warmth. He needs to get in touch with his inner Jerry Seinfeld on have a good time. Let me tell you the admissions we heard tonight that he was an altar boy. His jesuit training. That may come back to haunt him because they are going to try to use the catholic thing against kavanaugh. Your boss Clarence Thomas had similar problems and that they brought they threw everything it Clarence Thomas including the kitchen sink. He decided to respond with righteous indignation. This is another way to go. Watch. This is a circus, a national disgrace. From my standpoint, as a black american, as far as im concerned, its a hightech lynching for uppity black who in any way deigned to think for themselves, do for themselves, have different ideas. It is the message that unless you count outward old order, this is what to you. Laura never have truer words been spoken to my former boss, Clarence Thomas. Brilliant jurists, has had an amazing career on the court. Ultimate revenge is life tenure. Raymond arroyo, thank you. If yor crohns symptoms are holding you back, and your Current Treatment hasnt worked well enough, it may be time for a change. Ask your doctor about entyvio, the only biologic developed and approved just for uc and crohns. Entyvio works at the site of inflammation in the gi tract and is clinically proven to help many patients achieve both symptom relief and remission. Infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. Entyvio may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. Pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection caused by a virus may be possible. This condition has not been reported with entyvio. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, experience frequent infections or have flulike symptoms or sores. Liver problems can occur with entyvio. If your uc or crohns treatment isnt working for you, ask your gastroenterologist about entyvio. Entyvio. Relief and remission within reach. Laura in the last 81 years, only three other justices have held the seat. Hugo black, lewis powell, and Anthony Kennedy. And i think i could take a pretty solid bet on this that Brett Kavanaugh will be confirmed by the u. S. Senate. This fight ahead of us is going to be something. We will be with you covering it every step of the way. Good night from the white house. Shannon bream is up next. Shannon this is a fox news alert. Im Shannon Bream in washington on this historic night for the white house and for the nation. Judge Brett Kavanaugh making an impassioned appeal to the left and remarks from the white house tonight talking about his familys commitment to community and telling america he would keep an open mind in every case. His first pitch to a deeply divided senate looking at Midterm Elections and President Trumps efforts to nominate conservatives to the high court. Potentially leaving an indelible mark on the laws of the land for decades. This is history, folks. We have a starstudded lineup to break down from senator sasse to tony perkins. We have team coverage. Kristin fisher digging into kavanaughs background and a