President Donald Trump has asked advisers which candidate will be more like Neil Gorsuch, according to a friend who has spoken to the president in recent days. | Oliver Contreras/Getty Images Judge Kavanaugh spotted at White House ahead of Supreme Court reveal The president has kept a fairly tight lid on his nomination plans.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been spotted at the White House ahead of President Donald Trump's primetime reveal of his Supreme Court nominee, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The presence of Kavanaugh comes as Trump has kept his selection closely held and as speculation zeroed in on Kavanaugh and Judge Thomas Hardiman.


Trump returned to the White House on Sunday evening from a weekend at his golf resort in New Jersey where he had been considering four finalists for the seat: Hardiman, Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the final contenders, and Trump is known to create diversions to throw reporters and the public off the scent.

Trump has remained coy during the search, pledging to choose from a campaign-era list of 25 contenders who have been green lit by conservatives, but otherwise not publicly tipping his hand as to who he’s favoring.

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“I have long heard that the most important decision a U.S. President can make is the selection of a Supreme Court Justice - Will be announced tonight at 9:00 P.M.,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday morning.

Further stoking the anticipation, the White House announced on Monday afternoon that Jon Kyl, the former Republican senator from Arizona, will shepherd the nominee through the confirmation process. Kyl, who was a member of the judiciary committee in the senate, works as senior of counsel at the major law firm Covington.

The White House has moved rapidly since Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on June 27, recognizing the legacy-making potential of Trump’s second Supreme Court pick.

Trump has also asked advisers which candidate will be more like Neil Gorsuch, who Trump elevated to the court shortly after taking office, according to a friend who has spoken to the president in recent days.

Kavanaugh, 53, stands out as the most establishment choice. A former Kennedy clerk and graduate of Yale Law School, Kavanaugh has sat on the powerful D.C. Circuit Court since 2006. But he also has extensive ties to the Bush family — which could be a significant mark against him for Trump — and some conservatives have voiced concern that he may not be reliable on hot-button issues such as abortion and Obamacare.

His candidacy could also be hurt by his long paper trail from the Bush White House and his time as a lawyer for Whitewater Independent Counsel Ken Starr, which could slow down a confirmation process that Republicans hope to have wrapped up before the November midterms.

But Kavanaugh has the support of some key constituencies, including prominent business groups who are high on his reputation as a crusader against regulatory overreach.

The unusual timing of a D.C. Circuit court opinion Monday afternoon also fueled speculation that Kavanaugh was Trump’s pick. The appeals court typically releases opinions at 10 a.m. Tuesday and Fridays, but at about 4:30 p.m. Monday issued an opinion in a case involving attorney’s fees for a Freedom of Information Act suit.

Kavanaugh was one of the judges on the long-running case and was in the majority on the divided three-judge panel. If he is nominated and suspends work on the court, the case would likely have to be reargued before a new judge.

Hardiman, 53, emerged late in the process as a strong contender. A judge on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, Hardiman enjoys a good rapport with Trump and is popular among gun-rights activists, a key part of the Trump base.

He was also the runner-up last year to Gorsuch and comes highly recommended by Maryanne Trump Barry, the president’s sister who serves on the 3rd Circuit alongside Hardiman.

Eliana Johnson, Josh Gerstein and Lorraine Woellert contributed to this report.