NOMINATIONS/SENATE/SUPREME COURT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Brett Kavanaugh spent much of 12 hours in a packed and raucous Senate hearing room Wednesday [9-5-18] trying not to talk about politics — or how he would act in cases involving the man who nominated him to the Supreme Court, President Donald Trump. Should the Senate confirm Kavanaugh, it would likely ensure a conservative majority for a generation and bolster Trump’s legacy in reshaping the judiciary. But special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and other legal controversies surrounding the White House mean a Trump-specific case could hit the Supreme Court sooner rather than later…But he refused to be drawn by Democrats into treacherous political areas. He declined to say if a sitting president must respond to a subpoena, and would not budge when asked whether a president could pardon himself. Trump earlier this year claimed he had an ‘absolute’ right to pardon himself should he choose to. Senate Democrats have suggested that Kavanaugh could be biased in favor of the President and worry that his views on the primacy of executive power could help Trump evade legal scrutiny.”
–Stephen Collinson and Dan Berman, “Kavanaugh says ‘no one is above the law’ but ducks questions about Trump,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, September 5, 2018 10:40 pm