NOMINATIONS/RAND PAUL/SUPREME COURT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Sen. Rand Paul threw his support behind Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Monday [7-30-18], saying that he was satisfied by the ‘totality’ of the judge’s views and temperament. Mr. Paul, a Kentucky Republican with a libertarian streak who occasionally defies his party on major votes, had expressed concerns about Judge Kavanaugh’s views on civil liberties and privacy and suggested that he might not support the nominee. But after a meeting last week, Mr. Paul said that he would back Judge Kavanaugh, who is President Trump’s pick to fill the Supreme Court seat being vacated by the retiring Anthony Kennedy…Mr. Paul has said his chief concern was whether the Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans from unreasonable government searches, allows for a national-security exemption. Specifically, Mr. Paul cited a 2015 opinion by Judge Kavanaugh that argued that the bulk collection of American telephone data by the National Security Agency was constitutional and consistent with the Fourth Amendment. Congress terminated the bulk collection program in 2015 and Mr. Paul has been an outspoken critic of government surveillance under presidents of both parties.”
–Byron Tau, “Rand Paul Says He Will Back Kavanaugh for Supreme Court,” The Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2018 12:59 pm