Under pressure from Senator Whitehouse, Kavanaugh refused to promise to uphold vital protections for tens of millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions.

Meanwhile, oral arguments began today in Trump’s lawsuit to dismantle those very protections. The suit could be contested all the way to the Supreme Court.

WATCH HERE

Senator Whitehouse: “In my office, you told me that you could provide no assurance to me that you would uphold a statute requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Is that still true here in public?”

[…]

Kavanaugh: “All eight sitting justices of the Supreme Court have made clear that it would be inconsistent with judicial independence, rooted in Article III, to provide answers on cases or issues that could come before us. Justice Ginsburg, no hints forecast. Justice Kagan talking about precedent, no thumbs are up or down. I went back. Justice Thurgood Marshall was asked repeatedly in his hearing: ‘What do you think about Miranda? What do you think about Miranda? What do you think about Miranda?’”

Senator Whitehouse: “Got it. Everybody else does it and your answer is still no.”