“It doesn’t matter how Kavanaugh prays, any more than how likable he is as a carpool dad. What matters is how Kavanaugh interprets the prudence of precedence. The Federalist Society (Backed by Koch brotheres)— such a misnomer for a group that wants to throw human rights back to the feral back alleys of the states—backs Kavanaugh.”

But in addition to all of the above points, there is the hint that the president’s pick to be the next Supreme Court Justice may have a gambling problem.

Here is the rest of the story…

“Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) wants to know if Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, has a gambling problem.”

“Have you ever sought treatment for a gambling addiction?” Whitehouse asks pointedly as part of a series of questions submitted this week about Kavanaugh’s unexplained personal debts.”

“In 2016, Kavanaugh reported credit card and personal loan debts of between $60,000 and $200,000. The Trump White House said these debts were the result of Kavanaugh buying baseball tickets for friends who later paid him back, as well as some spending on home improvements. The 2016 debts did not appear on Kavanaugh’s 2017 disclosure form because they were either entirely paid off or fell below the reporting threshold. Kavanaugh also reported between $60,000 and $200,000 in debt in 2006.”

“The fact that Kavanaugh accrued such high debts through baseball tickets attracted notice, but surprisingly, not a single senator asked him about the issue during his televised judiciary committee hearings last week.”

“Senators have limited time for questioning,” Rich Davidson, Whitehouse’s spokesman, said in an email. “Senator Whitehouse would have touched on many of these issues if he had additional time.”

“Whitehouse is now asking about them in writing, and Kavanaugh will have to answer ― although not on camera. In addition to the baseball tickets, Whitehouse is asking Kavanaugh about his membership at an expensive country club, whether he regularly plays poker and how he paid for his house.”

“Whitehouse’s gambling questions stem, in part, from a publicly disclosed email from 2001 where Kavanaugh apologizes to his friends for “growing aggressive after blowing still another game of dice” on a weekend vacation in the Chesapeake Bay.”

“Whitehouse wants to know whether Kavanaugh has gambled at any point since 2000, how many times, with whom, where and how much money he has won or lost. The senator is also asking the nominee whether he plays in a regular or periodic poker game and if he has ever gambled in the state of New Jersey ― likely a reference to Atlantic City. Finally, Whitehouse wants to know if Kavanaugh has ever received or filed a W-2G tax form with the IRS reporting gambling earnings or losses.”

“Whitehouse questions whether the White House has been telling the truth about Kavanaugh’s debts, asking if White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah gave a “wholly accurate” characterization of the sources of his debt.”

“Did you tell the White House that you built up the debt by buying Washington Nationals season tickets for playoff games for yourself and a ‘handful’ of friends?” the senator asks.”

“Additionally, Whitehouse wants Kavanaugh to explain exactly how many tickets he purchased and at what price, and to list the names of the people for whom he bought the tickets.”

“Shah previously told The Washington Post that Kavanaugh was reimbursed for those tickets and paid off his debt at the end of 2016. Whitehouse wants to know which of his friends reimbursed Kavanaugh for baseball tickets, when and at what price. He also wants to know how Kavanaugh paid off the rest of his debt that was not incurred from purchasing baseball tickets.”