Kavanaugh Confirmation War Will Make Bork's 'Look Trivial'

As President Donald Trump announced Monday night he was nominating Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Washington was officially poised for the most contentious confirmation battle for the high court in more than 30 years.

"[Senate Democrats] and the left will launch an all-out propaganda war that will include character assassination, record distortions, and outright deception," said Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. "It will make the vile attacks on Robert Bork in 1987 look trivial in comparison."

The anti-Kavanaugh campaign from the left is expected to focus on his role in writing the final report as a top aide to special prosecutor Kenneth Starr recommending the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

Moreover, the opposition to the nominee will surely underscore D.C. Court of Appeals Judge Kavanaugh's writing of the majority opinion in Heller v. District of Columbia that is considered one of the most pro-Second Amendment opinions issued by any court.

Mere discussion of what Kavanaugh is sure to face invokes memories of Bork among older hands in the Washington press corps.

Named to the high court by Ronald Reagan, Bork, known as a constitutional originalist as jurist and scholar, came under fire for his writings and rulings in both the Senate and in the public arena. Hard-edged radio and TV spots, and newspaper ads attacking the nominee were financially lubricated by left-wing groups and designed to make Bork somehow "outside the mainstream" on issues ranging from school desegregation to abortion.

Bork's nomination was rejected by the Senate by a vote of 58-42.

"Judge Kavanaugh has been a player, so he's a target," said Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution, who has worked for four presidents. "It's not just the Democrats but all of the liberal outlets that will be lined up against him."

Already groups such as the NARAL Pro-choice America, the pro-gay Human Rights Campaign, and People for the American Way are reportedly mobilizing for anti-Kavanaugh blitz on TV and the internet.

Poised for the counterstrike, sources told Newsmax the Judicial Crisis Network will shortly launch a million-dollar cable and digital purchase in three states where Democratic senators face stiff Republican challenges.

The three senators in the JCN sights are reportedly Sens. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. In addition, sources told us, the proposed "Another Great Justice" campaign will target Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala. Jones won a nationally watched special election last year and next faces the voters in 2020.

"Things have changed dramatically since Bork's day," Henry Olsen, author and senior fellow at the Ethics and Policy Center, told us. "All parties now understand a Supreme Court nomination, especially from the right, is essentially a political battle."

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.