The final chapter of Michael Wolff's new book, "Landslide", contains an interview with former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago where he quickly bounces from his thoughts about one person to another.
After trashing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Trump celebrated that he "got a lot of judges approved." Taking over the judicial branch was McConnell's top priority. Trump then pivoted to talking about now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whose confirmation was tumultuous to say the least.
Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault by a research psychologist and biostatistician in the Stanford School of Medicine psychiatry department. Kavanaugh was plagued by a slate of scandals involving underage drinking and drunken behavior through high school and college. The FBI never investigated the accusations as part of a background check.
"I might as well tell you—Kavanaugh," Trump told Wolff. "Practically every senator called me, including Crazy Mitch, and said, 'Cut him loose, sir, cut him loose. He's killing us, Kavanaugh.' I said, 'We can't do that because it will destroy him—he won't be able to even go back to the second-highest court, right? They used the expression 'cut him loose,' and I said, 'I can't do that,' and it was very derogatory, that expression, 'cut him loose.' And I had plenty of time to pick somebody else … right? But they said, 'Cut him loose,' and I went through that thing and fought like hell for Kavanaugh—and I saved his life, and I saved his career. At great expense to myself.… okay?"
Trump claimed that at least 50 percent, maybe more, of the Republican senators were calling him demanding that the Kavanaugh nomination be pulled.
"And it made sense because they were saying, 'He's killing us,'" said Trump. "And I fought for that guy and kept him. I don't want anything—one thing has nothing to do with another—but I am very disappointed in him, in his rulings. I can't even believe what's happening. I'm very disappointed in Kavanaugh. I just told you something I haven't told a lot of people. In retrospect, he just hasn't had the courage you need to be a great justice. I'm basing this on more than just the election. And the others … Roberts? What's going on with Roberts? I have no idea, and nobody else does. But the Supreme Court has shown no courage and no strength, and they have been horrible for the United States of America…"
The feelings appeared to be mutual between Kavanaugh and Trump. According to a behind-the-scenes look at the nomination in May.
"He was no fan of Donald Trump," one Kavanaugh friend told The Atlantic. "But he's not going to say no to the nomination. He had to kiss the ring to get there."
