Paul says he'll back Kavanaugh
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Monday that he will vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's second nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, after previously withholding his support over privacy concerns.
"After meeting Judge Kavanaugh and reviewing his record, I have decided to support his nomination," Paul said in a tweet. "No one will ever completely agree with a nominee (unless of course, you are the nominee). Each nominee, however, must be judged on the totality of their views." Paul said earlier that he strongly disagreed with Kavanaugh on the meaning of the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches. Paul's vote couldn't be taken for granted in a Senate controlled by the GOP 51-49.
Also Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia broke with his party to become the first Democrat to meet with Kavanaugh. Manchin, who faces a tough fight for re-election in a state that Trump won handily in 2016, is central to the Democrats' uphill battle to defeat.
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