DONALD TRUMP MADE JUSTICE KENNEDY AN OFFER HE COULDN'T REFUSE
Inside the White House, however, news of Kennedys retirement didnt come as a shock. In fact, as The New York Times reports, the 81-year-olds announcement was the culmination of a carefully orchestrated 17-month campaign by the Trump administration to remake the Supreme Court before the 2018 midterms, when there is an outside chance that Republicans could lose their majority. For conservatives, Kennedys seat was seen as one of they keys to rolling back abortion rightson the campaign trail, Trump pledged to appoint a justice who would overturn Roe v. Wade. But first, Trump had to demonstrate to Kennedy that he could be trusted to nominate quality jurists to the Supreme Court. The campaign was multifaceted: over the course of several months, Trump systematically nominated three of Kennedys former clerks for plum judicial posts. While he criticized other, more conservative members of the court, he lavished praise on Kennedydespite the fact that the justice has been pilloried by the right for his votes on social issues. And he cultivated a relationship with Justice Kennedys son, Justin, who worked closely with the Trump Organization in his role at Deutsche Bank as the global head of real-estate capital markets, according to the Times.
The overtures continued outside the White House. Ivanka Trump reportedly took Kennedy to lunch shortly after the inauguration and brought her daughter Arabella Kushner to the Supreme Court to hear oral arguments as special guest of Kennedy shortly after. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, went on conservative commentator Hugh Hewitts radio show last month to implore the courts aging judges, If youre thinking about quitting this year, do it yesterday.
Perhaps most important, Trump used the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to demonstrate to Kennedy how his own legacy could be preserved. He ensured that Kennedy was involved in swearing in Gorsuch, who used to clerk for himsomething that gave Kennedy virtually parental pride, Turley told me, describing Kennedys obvious delight at the ceremonys after-party. After Gorsuch was sworn in, the White House made sure to float two more potential Supreme Court candidatesJudge Brett Kavanaugh of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Raymond Kethledgeboth of whom also clerked for Kennedy.
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)Investigative Journalism,as I have said before,the White House Press Corps seems to be a bunch of Light weights.
kennetha
(3,666 posts)They often are relatively good looking and presentable on camera. They ask inane questions that they know won't be answered, more to posture than anything else, and serve as stenographers for their go to sources. That's about all they bring to the table.
They are distinguishable form government mouthpieces, but only just barely. The key for them is access to sources, so of course they don't do anything to rock the boat or upset their sources -- you know, like serious, challenging, skeptical, truth-seeking journalism.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)and this came from a Local Newspaper Reporter who worked the White House Beat,it is just one big Social Cocktail Club. This fellow quit after one year,interesting statement was,most don't even write their copy. They are just looking for the next Stand up Photo Op.
Response to icymist (Original post)
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JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)"Both sides do it".
Uncle Joe
(58,366 posts)Thanks for the thread icymist