John Dean on Kavanaugh Docs: Is There 'Something to Hide?'

The confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh ended Friday with a testy exchange between Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana and John Dean of Watergate notoriety, the AP reports. Kennedy told Dean he only did the right thing in Watergate "when you were cornered like a rat." Dean—President Richard Nixon's White House Counsel who testified that Nixon was involved in the Watergate cover-up more than four decades ago—was one of the witnesses called by Democrats to testify during Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing. To Kennedy, Dean responded that President Donald Trump has also called him a rat, adding that he "tried internally" to end the Watergate coverup. "I didn't succeed."

Dean testified Friday against Kavanaugh. He warned about creating a Supreme Court that takes an expansive view of presidential powers. Dean said he's surprised that Kavanaugh "is not demanding every document that he's ever handled be reviewed by this committee, unless, of course, there's something to hide." Dean predicts the US will have the most "pro-presidential powers" Supreme Court in modern history if Kavanaugh is confirmed. "Under Judge Kavanaugh's recommendation, if a president shot somebody in cold blood on Fifth Avenue, that president could not be prosecuted while in office," Dean warned, per NBC.

(More Brett Kavanaugh stories.)