Who Kennedy Was Really After

Sam Stein: “Political humiliations like these don’t often happen in public view, let alone at the hands of a member of the same political party of the nominating administration. And, sure enough, the video went viral. By Monday, Petersen had decided to withdraw his nomination. Kennedy, it appeared, had got his man.”

“Except, Petersen wasn’t the one he was truly after. Indeed, the real subject of the senator’s ire appears to have been the person who delivered Petersen to the committee in the first place: White House Counsel Don McGahn. More than anyone who has occupied the post before, McGahn has exerted an outsized influence over the nation’s judiciary. He has put loyal allies in key positions at the Department of Justice and he has taken the leading role in pushing nominees for the bench.”