--- title: Brett Kavanaugh Can't Answer Kamala Harris on Mueller Probe description: Sen. Kamala Harris and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had an awkward exchange about the Mueller probe at his confirmation hearing canonical: https://time.com/5388614/kamala-harris-brett-kavanaugh-mueller-probe-senate-hearing/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-06T14:57:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T12:37:02.020Z article:section: Politics og:title: Sen. Kamala Harris Questioned Brett Kavanaugh on a Conversation About the Russia Probe og:description: "I think you're thinking of someone and you don't want to tell us." og:url: https://time.com/5388614/kamala-harris-brett-kavanaugh-mueller-probe-senate-hearing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta73359a175cbec72/69893995ab6d7760636b39a5/kamala-harris-brett-kavanaugh.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing For Brett Kavanaugh To Be Supreme Court Justice og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sen. Kamala Harris Questioned Brett Kavanaugh on a Conversation About the Russia Probe twitter:description: "I think you're thinking of someone and you don't want to tell us." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta73359a175cbec72/69893995ab6d7760636b39a5/kamala-harris-brett-kavanaugh.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Sen. Kamala Harris Questioned Brett Kavanaugh on a Conversation About the Russia Probe > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) and [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/) Sep 6, 2018 2:57 PM UTC  U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) delivers listens as Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh appears for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) delivers listens as Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh appears for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer—Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) and [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/) Sep 6, 2018 2:57 PM UTC Sen. Kamala Harris pressed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about whether he’d talked with anyone working with President Donald Trump’s lawyer about the Russia investigation. In a tense exchange Wednesday, the California Democrat asked Kavanaugh if he had ever spoken with anyone at the law firm Kasowitz, Benson & Torres about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Marc Kasowitz, one of the firm’s partners, has long worked with Trump. “Have you had any conversation about Robert Mueller or his investigation with anyone at that firm?” she asked. Kavanaugh appeared confused by the question. He asked Harris: “Is there a person you’re talking about?” > [](https://twitter.com/SenKamalaHarris/status/1037520011861090305) The exchange between the two went on for a few minutes, as Harris, a former prosecutor, repeated her line of questioning and Kavanaugh said while he didn’t remember, he did not know everyone employed at the law firm. He never answered the question. “I think you’re thinking of someone and you don’t want to tell us,” Harris said. When asked about the exchange between Harris and Kavanaugh, a Democratic aide told TIME, “We have reason to believe that a conversation happened and are continuing to pursue it.” Democrats have questioned Kavanaugh on how he would rule in matters related to Mueller’s probe. Asked this week if a sitting president would be [required to respond to a subpoena](http://time.com/5387414/kavanaugh-president-subpoena/), Kavanaugh declined to answer. He also did not answer a question about whether [Trump has the right to pardon himself](http://time.com/5387414/kavanaugh-president-subpoena/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5388614/kamala-harris-brett-kavanaugh-mueller-probe-senate-hearing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5388614/kamala-harris-brett-kavanaugh-mueller-probe-senate-hearing/"},"headline":"Sen. 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