The White House confirmed Tuesday afternoon that President Trump had a conversation with Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee this morning. Lee is on President Trump's list of potential nominees to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
“Yesterday, the President spoke on the phone with Sen. Mike Lee,” White House spokesman Raj Shah said.
Trump has interviewed a series of candidates this week and will announce a final decision on Monday, July 9.
Last week on Capitol Hill, Lee told reporters if he was chosen to fill Kennedy's position, he wouldn't say no. Lee was a clerk for current Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
Lee: “I started watching Supreme Court arguments for fun when I was 10 years old. So if somebody asked me if I would consider that I would not say no. But the president’s got a decision to make and I trust his ability to make it and make it well.”
— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) June 27, 2018
NEWS: @SenMikeLee interested if Trump wants to nominate him for SCOTUS. “Of course,” he said when I asked via text. Ex-Alito clerk. Grew up in McLean, VA, and started attending SCOTUS hearings when he as 10 years old “for fun,” he says. Lee is on WH list of potential noms.
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) June 27, 2018
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Lee's closest ally in the Senate, has fully endorsed him for the Supreme Court.
"The best choice that President Trump could make is Mike Lee because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mike Lee would be faithful to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights," Cruz said during an interview with Fox News. "He's not going to evolve."