Hillary Clinton charged that President Donald Trump used the public swearing-in ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh Monday night in the East Room of the White House as a "political rally.”
She told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that the ceremony in which former Justice Kennedy swore in Justice Kavanaugh, who replaced Justice Kennedy on the Supreme Court, “further undermined the image and integrity of the court. And that troubles me greatly. It saddens me. Because our judicial system has been viewed as one of the main pillars of our constitutional government.”
As usual, Clinton was way off base. Apparently, she has forgotten that her own husband presided over a televised White House ceremony in the East Room at which former President Bill Clinton’s confirmed nominee, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, took the constitutional oath of office required of all federal employees.
President Trump followed the bipartisan tradition of a public ceremony honoring a newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice, hoping also in this case to unify the country after the conclusion of the bitter Kavanaugh confirmation fight.
All members of the Supreme Court, across the ideological spectrum, attended.
“It is up to us to reclaim our heritage of equal and impartial justice,” the president said in his remarks at the swearing-in ceremony. “It is up to us to re-dedicate ourselves to the traditions and wisdom of our Founders. And it is up to us to renew the bonds of love, loyalty, and affection that link us all together as one great American family. Let us pray we are successful in this task. And let us pray that all of America’s children will grow up in a country that is fair, and just, and safe, and strong, and free.”
President Trump reaffirmed the importance of the presumption of innocence and apologized to Justice Kavanaugh and his family for the wrenching experience they were put through during the confirmation process. He bestowed praise on Justice Kavanaugh as “a man of decency, character, kindness, and courage who has devoted his life to serving his fellow citizens” and as “a judge’s judge.”
Perhaps Hillary was offended by the president’s thanking those in the Senate who worked hard for Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation or by his criticism of the “campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception” launched against Justice Kavanaugh. Too bad. The president had every right to express his gratitude for Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation and his sadness for the unsavory efforts to bring him down, all while eschewing the temptation to call out the Democrat partisans for their role in the campaign of personal destruction.
In his own remarks, Justice Kavanaugh assured the country that he intends to be “an independent and impartial Justice devoted to equal justice under law.” He emphasized the non-partisan character of the Supreme Court and vowed that he “will always be a team player on the team of nine.”
While acknowledging that the Senate confirmation process was “contentious and emotional,” he made it clear that he was looking forward, not backwards.
“My focus now is to be the best Justice I can be,” Justice Kavanaugh said. “I take this office with gratitude and no bitterness. On the Supreme Court, I will seek to be a force for stability and unity. My goal is to be a great Justice for all Americans and for all of America.”
It is Hillary Clinton, not President Trump, who is the demagogue trying to transmogrify a bipartisan unifying tradition into a continuation of a bitter partisan battle.
Joseph A. Klein is a featured author for FrontPage Magazine and the United Nations correspondent for Canada Free Press. He has also authored the books "Global Deception: The UN’s Stealth Assault on America’s Freedom" and "Lethal Engagement: Barack Hussein Obama, the United Nations & Radical Islam." Klein, a Harvard Law school alumnus and practicing attorney, has been a guest on many radio shows as a commentator and has appeared on several TV shows including "Fox & Friends." For more of this reports — Click Here Now.
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