Trump Family Reportedly Pushed Justice Kennedy To Retire, Kavanaugh To Replace

A new book details an alleged effort by President Donald Trump and his team to convince U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy of retiring from the bench so that Brett Kavanaugh could step in.

According to The Guardian, which obtained an early copy of the upcoming book by New York Times finance editor David Enrich, "Dark Towers," the Trump family had a unique connection to Kennedy. Years ago, Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, built a rapport with Kennedy’s son, Justin Kennedy. Thanks to his position on the U.S. branch of Deutsche Bank, Kennedy was able to help the Trump family secure loans that other banks wouldn’t grant.

Kennedy would later go on to form his own finance firm. With that, he would continue to loan to the Trumps, even as they struggled to keep up with loan repayments to Deutsche Bank.

As this relationship grew, it extended to Justice Kennedy. According to Enrich, Trump and his family realized that if Kennedy, the court’s long-time swing vote, were to resign, he could be replaced with a much more conservative judge. To persuade Kennedy to step down, the Trumps launched a “coordinated White House charm offensive.” This included Ivanka Trump making friendly visits to the justice as well as the president lavishing him and his son with praise; at one point Trump told Kennedy that his son was a “special guy.”

Enrich explained that the goal for the Trumps was to demonstrate to Kennedy “that it was safe to retire, even with an unpredictable man in the Oval Office.” It would seem that this campaign eventually paid off.

Kennedy would go on to announce his retirement in 2018, opening the door for Trump to name a replacement. Kavanaugh would eventually be nominated and appointed, even after an extremely contentious confirmation hearing which included an examination of Kavanaugh’s alleged past sexual misconduct.

Enrich’s book, "Dark Towers," is set for release on Feb. 18.