McConnell Defends Kavanaugh's Views on Presidential Power

The Senate's top Republican is defending Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh against Democrats' warnings that he might thwart the special counsel's Russia probe because he believes investigations of a sitting president are a distraction.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday that Democrats are reading too much into Kavanaugh's earlier writings.

He called the claims "outlandish" and a "conspiracy theory." He says Democrats are throwing "catnip for their far-left base."

Kavanaugh wrote a decade ago that such investigations can be a distraction from governing. He had first-hand experience, having served on the Kenneth Starr team investigating President Bill Clinton.

Democrats warn Kavanaugh's views could impede the Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference.