Watch this very intense, very odd exchange between Brett Kavanaugh and Sen. Kamala Harris

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/C-SPAN)

published 6 September 2018

In his second day of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings Wednesday, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh rejected requests from Democrats to discuss his views on presidential pardons or whether a president can be compelled to testify in a criminal case. When Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) asked if he would recuse himself from any cases involving President Trump and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, Kavanaugh declined.

But "Kavanaugh's most uncomfortable moment may have come near the end of nearly 12 hours in the witness chair," The Associated Press reports, when Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) asked him if he had discussed the Mueller investigation with anyone at the law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres, founded by Trump's personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz. "I would like to know the person you're thinking of," Kavanaugh said. "I think you're thinking of someone and you don't want to tell us," Harris responded. Then Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) cut in to object, saying Washington, D.C., is full of law firms, and they multiply "like rabbits." The odd eight-minute exchange ended without Kavanaugh answering the question.

"What in the hell was all that?!?" asked Joe Patrice at Above the Law. He offered some theories. "At this point, it's up to our imaginations what that could mean, but a seasoned prosecutor leaning on someone based on their acquaintances doesn't generally bode well for the witness," he said. Harris could be "bluffing," but "this mystery is going to be far, far more exciting than anything else we’re likely to see on Day 3 .... Unless someone from Kasowitz makes a surprise appearance on the witness list."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.