President Donald Trump must steer clear of burdening his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court with the issue of abortion, former White House Chief of Staff John Sununu told Newsmax TV on Monday.
"The issues that are really going to be addressed by the Supreme Court include issues like trade, include issues like immigration and there's a whole host of . . . crucial issues," Sununu told "America Talks Live." "To let the opposition make it look just like an abortion rights seat, I think, is a serious mistake.
"I want to focus on reminding the president that he ought to be sending somebody up there with a strong conservative position without burdening whoever he nominates with the burden of just focusing on the abortion rights issue."
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Trump told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on Sunday he will "probably not" ask those he interviews for possible nomination to the Supreme Court how they might vote on upholding the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Sununu, who worked in the administration of George H.W. Bush and also served as governor of New Hampshire, declined to reveal his own pick to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, but told Newsmax TV hosts Miranda Khan, John Cardillo, and Gina Loudon:
"He has a list of 25 that have certainly been well vetted in terms of their fundamental beliefs . . . I think that what you will probably get is a very conservative nominee who when that issue [of abortion] is addressed will say that he believes in the principle of stare decisis and then move it on from there."
Stare decisis is Latin for "to stand by things decided" and means court rulings should be guided by precedent.
Sununu also predicted Trump will select a jurist who is a "sure thing in terms of getting the support of the Republicans in the Senate."
"And I think they'll probably pick up one, two, three, four of the Democrats, so I think there's about a 90 percent chance that the president's nominee gets through the Senate."
Sununu is the author of "The Quiet Man: The Indispensable Presidency of George H.W. Bush," published by Broadside Books.
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