More than 12 hours into Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing Wednesday, Sen. Kamala Harris raised a question about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation that appeared to take everyone by surprise.

“Have you ever discussed special counsel Mueller or his investigation with anyone?” Harris asked, prompting Kavanaugh to note that the topic is “in the news every day” and that he had discussed it “with other judges.”

Then, however, Harris shifted to a far more direct question: “Have you discussed Mueller or his investigation with anyone at Kasowitz Benson and Torres, the law firm found by Marc Kasowitz, President Trump’s personal lawyer?”

And though that question amounted to a near accusation that the senator never quite made, Kavanaugh also was unable to give a direct answer — leaving the issue unresolved going into Thursday, what will be the third day of Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing.

Nothing about such a communication between Kavanaugh and a lawyer from the Kasowitz firm has been reported previously, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment on the exchange.



Instead, what happened at the hearing was a nearly eight-minute exchange that continued until Kavanaugh eventually said, “I”m not remembering anything like that.”

But, in the interim, the two went back and forth giving each other quizzical looks after each exchange.

On Thursday morning, Sen. Orrin Hatch gave Kavanaugh a chance to clean up his answer, saying that Harris “did not allow [him] to complete his answers” on the question.

“I don't recall any conversations of that kind with anyone at that law firm. I didn’t know everyone who might work at that law firm, but I don’t recall any conversations of that kind,” he said.

I haven’t had any inappropriate conversations about that investigation with anyone,” Kavanaugh added. “I’ve never given anyone any hints, forecasts, previews, winks, nothing about my view as a judge or how I would rule as a judge on that or anything related to that, so I thank you for the opportunity to clarify and reassure you on that.”