BULLETIN:  RAND PAUL AN "AYE" ON JUDGE KAVANAUGH – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:   The Republican senator from Kentucky had been an "undecided" until today.  From The Hill:

GOP Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) on Monday said that he will support President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

“After meeting Judge Kavanaugh and reviewing his record, I have decided to support his nomination,” Paul said in a statement.

He added that while no one will “ever completely agree with a nominee,” they “must be judged on the totality of their views, character, and opinions.”

Paul, who previously described himself as “honestly undecided,” has remained tight-lipped since his meeting with Kavanaugh last week, which lasted for more than an hour.

But a person familiar with the discussions previously told The Hill that Paul raised concerns about Kavanaugh as Trump was weighing who to select to succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy. 

And Paul was widely considered a potential swing vote because of his positions on the Fourth Amendment, which established the constitutional right to privacy.

“I have expressed my concern over Judge Kavanaugh’s record on warrantless bulk collection of data and how that might apply to very important privacy cases before the Supreme Court,” Paul said on Monday.

COMMENT:  Paul's decision does not guarantee confirmation for Judge Kavanaugh, but it represents a major hurdle that is overcome.  We now await decisions by Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both pro-choice Republicans.  If they both decide to support Kavanaugh, it will probably be all over.  That's what we're hoping for.

July 30, 2018