‘Brett was involved’: Inside Supreme Court nominee's work for Bill Clinton probe
"Brett Kavanaugh and the Mueller Investigation: What Do His Writings Really Say?"
Ken Starr's investigation of Bill Clinton two decades ago was notoriously leaky.
By JOSH GERSTEIN
07/22/2018 06:50 AM EDT
More details about Brett Kavanaugh’s role are expected to emerge in the coming weeks as an estimated 20,000 pages of Kavanaugh’s records from his time on Ken Starr’s staff are processed for public release. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images
President Donald Trump has waged war on leakers — but in nominating Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, the president has picked someone well-versed in the swampy art of off-the-record briefings and anonymous quotes.
Kavanaugh spent nearly four years working for Kenneth Starr’s independent counsel probe of President Bill Clinton two decades ago. A sampling of the Starr office’s internal files available at the National Archives indicate Kavanaugh helped craft aspects of Starr’s communications strategy and interacted directly with the news media himself.
Starr infamously took an expansive view of permissible contact with the media, allowing discussions about issues related to the ongoing investigation — disclosures that other prosecutors view as improper or ill-advised.
While Starr had spokespeople, “he also had attorneys like Kavanaugh contact people who might have information to come to the office and offer to guide the press about the work of the office,” said former Iran-Contra prosecutor John Barrett, now a law professor at St. John’s University.
The Senate GOP leader is vowing to squeeze Democrats with a vote on Brett Kavanaugh right before the midterms if they don’t back down on their demand for documents.
By ELANA SCHOR and BURGESS EVERETT 07/20/2018 05:00 AM EDT Updated 07/20/2018 10:15 AM EDT
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