Kavanaugh and Bush in 2006. Photo: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

With Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote just days away, a big-name supporter of the embattled judge has been making calls to senators who haven’t yet decided if they’ll vote for him.

George W. Bush, the Washington Post reports, has reached out in recent days to Republican senators Susan Collins, Jeff Flake, and Lisa Murkowski, along with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. The group of four is seen as the key to Kavanaugh’s confirmation; without their votes, he will fail to land a seat on the Supreme Court.

The Post suggests that Bush has entered the fray, at least in part, because these undecided senators are less likely to be swayed by President Trump, who hasn’t made very good friends with any of them. And while that may be what’s driving Bush’s most recent attempt to win support for Kavanaugh, it’s not the whole reason he’s involved.

Bush and Kavanaugh go way back. In 2000, the judge worked for Bush during the Florida recount. In 2003, he nominated Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. That nomination was held up for three years, during which time Kavanaugh served as White House Staff Secretary. In the summer of 2006, Kavanaugh finally made it onto the court.

When President Trump tapped Kavanaugh to join the Supreme Court in July, Bush came out in full support. “He is a fine husband, father, and friend — and a man of the highest integrity. He will make a superb Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” Bush said. Two months later, after the judge was accused of attempted rape, Bush reaffirmed his support.