George W. Bush Reaffirms Support for Brett Kavanaugh After Testimony, Whips Votes for Confirmation

WASHINGTON - JUNE 01: (AFP OUT) Brett Kavanaugh (L) speaks as U.S. President George W. Bus
Alex Wong/Getty
Joshua Caplan

Former President George W. Bush stands by his support of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh following his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Freddy Ford, Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush, told Politico Thursday evening.

“Yes, he does,” Ford told the news outlet when asked if the former president still believes Kavanaugh should ascend to the United States’ highest court.

In a statement to Politico last Tuesday, Bush affirmed he and the former first lady Laura Bush support the Trump court pick in the wake of a decades-old sexual misconduct allegation brought forth by California psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford. “Laura and I have known and respected Brett Kavanaugh for decades, and we stand by our comments the night Judge Kavanaugh was nominated,” the statement read.

One unnamed Bush-era official with a personal relationship with Kavanaugh said that while they found the committee’s treatment of the Judge was “unfair,” it was wrong to believe Republicans are sure to bail on the nominee. “I don’t think the process was unfair, but I think the rush to ‘he is toast’ narrative that was dominating even before he even had a chance to testify was unfair,” the ex-Bush White House aide said. “It is, like, unless she came across as an insane person, he was going to be ‘toast.’”

Asked if he still supported Kavanaugh after Thursday morning, he said, “Hell yes!”

As detailed in his testimony, Kavanaugh was an associate counsel and a staff secretary for then-President Bush. In 2006, Kavanaugh’s former boss nominated him to serve as judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Former President Bush has also reportedly been calling Republican senators whipping votes for Kavanaugh’s confirmation, a huge boon for the embattled judge’s chances.

Kavanaugh worked in the Bush White House as staff secretary for several years. He was originally introduced at his confirmation hearing in early September by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Kavanaugh’s time in the Bush White House came up again at Thursday’s hearing when the now appellate judge detailed his history of traveling the world with President Bush as staff secretary.

 

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