Derided as Trump Protector, Kavanaugh Defies Easy Label on Probe

Democrats say Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s own words show he would shield President Donald Trump from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal inquiry. The reality is a bit more complicated.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Trump “chose the candidate who he thought would best protect him from the Mueller investigation.” Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called on Kavanaugh to recuse himself from any criminal case involving the president. Otherwise his appointment would provide a critical vote for a “get-out-of-jail-free pass,” the senator said.

Brett Kavanaugh

Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

It’s not clear whether Kavanaugh would vote on the Supreme Court to ...