"Why did the president stick with Kavanaugh? Because he's worried that Mr. Mueller will go to the court and ask that the president be subpoenaed. ... And President Trump knows that Kavanaugh will be a barrier to preventing that investigation from going there," Schumer said during a rally with Senate Democrats outside the Supreme Court.

Schumer added that "it's no wonder" Trump picked Kavanaugh, because "his views on this issue are more extreme than just about anyone else on that list."

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Trump announced late Monday that he was picking Kavanaugh to succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, kicking off a high-profile battle in the Senate. The White House and GOP leadership want him confirmed before the court starts its new term in October.



"Having seen first-hand how complex and difficult that job [of president] is, I believe it vital that the President be able to focus on his never-ending tasks with as few distractions as possible,” Kavanaugh wrote at the time. Kavanaugh wrote in a 2009 law review article that trying to indict a sitting president would "cripple" the federal government and distract a president."Having seen first-hand how complex and difficult that job [of president] is, I believe it vital that the President be able to focus on his never-ending tasks with as few distractions as possible,” Kavanaugh wrote at the time.



Rudy Giuliani, Trump's lawyer, told ABC News's "This Week" on Sunday that they were "close" to deciding if Trump would sit down with Mueller. The article is in the spotlight as Mueller probes Russia's election interference and potential collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.Rudy Giuliani, Trump's lawyer, told ABC News's "This Week" on Sunday that they were "close" to deciding if Trump would sit down with Mueller.

Though Democrats initially focused their strategy on Kavanaugh's impact on health care, they are now honing in on his potential impact on the Mueller probe.