Ocasio-Cortez: Brett Kavanaugh's View on POTUS Indictment 'Automatic Disqualification'

Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declared Monday evening Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s view on presidential indictments renders President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee unfit to serve.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the democratic socialist who defeated House leader Rep. Joseph Crowley (R-NY) in June, tweeted her opposition to Kavanaugh, describing his views on whether a president could be the subject of a criminal investigation as an “automatic disqualification.”

“The fact that #ScotusPick Kavanuaugh [sic] believes that a President cannot be indicted is an automatic disqualification from Supreme Court consideration,” she wrote. “Plain and simple.”

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) voiced similar concerns about Kavanaugh’s view of presidential indictments, calling President Trump’s pick a “stunning,” “overt” attempt to protect himself against a potential criminal indictment brought by special counsel Robert Mueller.

“We have an ongoing investigation that is a bi-partisan supported investigation as we saw throughout the Senate committee and a president who is saying, “I now have a chance to make sure the Supreme Court gives me a get out of jail free card,” Booker told ABC 7 amid protests against the nominee in Washington, D.C.

President Trump’s decision stands to be among the most consequential of his presidency, as he will likely shape the high court for decades to come. With Kavanaugh a mere 53 years old, he could serve for a generation or more.

“Judge Kavanaugh has impeccable credentials, unsurpassed qualifications, and a proven commitment to equal justice under the law,” President Trump said as he introduced his nominee in a prime-time address from the White House, praising him as “one of the finest and sharpest legal minds of our time.”

After days spent teasing his highly-anticipated decision, President Trump ended up picking a jurist with extended federal bench and administration experience to fill the vacancy left by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Kavanaugh worked for President George W. Bush, who appointed him in 2003 to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington — where he was finally confirmed by the Senate in 2006 after years of Democratic obstruction.

The Agence France-Presse contributed to his report.