Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., sent a detailed list of questions to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about his financial history this week, and those questions have now begotten further questions. Whitehouse seems to be exploring whether Kavanaugh has a gambling problem or a history of unusual expenditures, both of which could be potentially compromising.
Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin explored this further in a Wednesday article editorial elaborating on the 14 pages of questions asked by Whitehouse about Kavanaugh's financial background.
First, he asks a ton of questions about the judge’s finances, including “Are there any debts, creditors, or related items that you did not disclose on your FBI disclosures?” He asks a slew of questions about the debt Kavanaugh incurred allegedly paying for baseball tickets for a friend who reimbursed him, as well as how he could afford membership at the Chevy Chase Club, which reportedly has a $92,000 initiation free and annual dues of more than $9,000.
Whitehouse also inquired whether Kavanaugh “participated in any form of gambling or game of chance or skill with monetary stakes, including but not limited to poker, dice, golf, sports betting, blackjack, and craps.” He even goes so far as to inquire whether Kavanaugh “ever sought treatment for a gambling addiction.”
When asked to explain this particular line of inquiry, Whitehouse responded to Salon by email, but was not especially forthcoming. "The American people should feel confident that whomever the president appoints to the Supreme Court would come to the bench without financial obligations that could affect their independence," the Rhode Island senator wrote.
Kavanaugh's Washington Nationals tickets have attracted particular notice, since they amounted to between $60,000 and $200,000 of his credit card and personal debts in 2016, according to HuffPost. Rich Davidson, Kavanaugh's spokesman, told HuffPost in an email that no senators had asked Kavanaugh about that particular eyebrow-raising aspect of his financial background because there wasn't enough time.
"Senators have limited time for questioning. Senator Whitehouse would have touched on many of these issues if he had additional time," Davidson explained.
This underscores a deeper issue with Kavanaugh's confirmation process — the way it is being rushed through the Senate by Republicans who are beginning to worry that they may lose control of the chamber after the November elections.
"Despite Republicans’ sham process for considering this nominee, Democrats are fighting to bring Judge Kavanaugh’s full record to light," Whitehouse told Salon. "After hearings full of contradictions and apparent falsehoods from Judge Kavanaugh, we still have plenty of questions about Judge Kavanaugh’s views on a wide range of issues, including the scope of presidential power and the role of government in protecting civil rights."
"That’s why it’s more important than ever for the public to see the 90 percent of Kavanaugh’s record that remains hidden. When the whole truth behind his record comes out, it will help explain Kavanaugh’s troubling pattern of siding with corporate and right-wing interests over those of all Americans."
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