The White House is mounting an “offensive” communications strategy ahead of Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s upcoming Senate confirmation fight, with aides describing an aggressive plan for “knife fighters” to “fiercely” defend the nominee ahead of what’s expected to be a heated battle on Capitol Hill.

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Fox News has learned the White House has formed a team to handle what’s to come in the weeks ahead as Senate Republicans aim to get President Trump’s nominee confirmed to the high court before Election Day. . . .

Senior officials argued the team is “uniquely equipped” for the mission: The White House communications team will consist of White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who is a graduate of Harvard Law School and will take on the role of “lead spokesperson.” Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern, a graduate of Columbia Law School, and White House communications officials Alyssa Farah and Ben Williamson, who are veterans of Capitol Hill and who have unique relationships with Republican leadership in both chambers of Congress, are also on the team.

The communications team will also include White House staff who will be dedicated to a rapid response effort and research.

“We will need to be knife fighters with the opposition, and will be prepared to marshal information quickly, and disseminate it to push back on any false narratives or attacks on her and her family, because we anticipate, unfortunately, that Democrats will go there,” a senior official told Fox News.

“So we’re mounting an offensive strategy on her behalf because she is such an incredible and inspiring nominee,” the official continued. “We’ll be defending her fiercely every day.”

Another official told Fox News that the communications team intends to be “very well-synced” with Senate communicators, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office, the Senate Republican conference and the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“We will work closely with them,” the official said.

As for the Hill process, White House Counsel Pat Cippollone and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows will play “integral roles.” . . .

As for Cippollone, an official told Fox News that he “knows what she’ll be questioned on.”

“He’ll know ways to navigate those without telegraphing too much to get through the confirmation,” another official told Fox News. “Between Pat’s legal mind and Meadows’ Hill mind, we feel we have the strongest team in place to get through this.”

The official, doubling down, expressed the White House’s confidence in the process, citing experience from both the confirmations of Justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.

“Our sense, strategically, is that we know the process,” the official said. “We have muscle memory from being through two confirmations now, we have a White House counsel team who knows what to expect, and we feel highly confident about where we are.”

Republicans, at this point, are eyeing Oct. 12 as the target date for the start of confirmation hearings for Barrett.

“We understand we’re operating on an abbreviated timeline, but we’re embracing that,” an official told Fox News.

The president officially announced Barrett as his pick to fill the vacancy left by late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday afternoon, touting her commitment to the Constitution and her record.

An Oct. 12 start, 16 days from her official nomination, would be in line with that “abbreviated timeline.”

There were 48 days between the nomination of Gorsuch and his confirmation hearing in 2017 and 57 days between the nomination of Kavanaugh and his hearing. . . .

Senate Democrats are likely to seek to impede the confirmation as much as possible. They have objected to a confirmation so close to the election, citing McConnell’s refusal to consider President Barack Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland in 2016. . . .

Republicans, though, appear to have the votes to move forward and confirm Barrett. Republicans have 53 votes in the Senate and can therefore afford three defections if no Democrat votes for the nominee. In that instance, Vice President Mike Pence would be called in to break a tie.

So far, only Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, have indicated they oppose moving forward with a confirmation before the election. Murkowski has since suggested she still may vote for the nominee.

Meanwhile, officials said their main priority in messaging and strategy in the days leading up to Barrett’s confirmation hearing will be “introducing” Barrett to the American people and “allowing them to be familiar with her as a compassionate, working mom from the heartland of America.”

Prayer Points for Judge Amy Coney Barrett:

Father, we ask for protection for Amy Coney Barrett from attack and accusation. We ask that You create a hedge of protection around her and her family.

Lord God, we ask You to keep those with evil and destruction in their hearts far away from Judge Barrett.

Father, we pray for unity for Judge Barrett and her family during the hearing and confirmation. We proclaim Your power over their lives and ask that they would continue to call on You.

God, we pray that the left would not wage war against Judge Barrett to keep her from being confirmed. We ask that peace would preside over this situation.

Lord Almighty, we pray against electoral chaos that is stirring with the fraud going on with voting by mail. We ask that truth and justice would prevail.

Father, we ask that Judge Barrett be confirmed, and resist attempts to pervert the judiciary, usurp legislative power, and re-write the text of election laws. And we pray that she would not be kept from voting on any landmark election cases.

God Almighty, we ask that You keep Judge Barrett’s Hill visits with Senators from being used to lay a trap to force her to recuse from.

Lord, we come before You and are asking on behalf of Judge Barrett that You would give her supernatural wisdom in what to say and how to say it during her Hill visits with these Senators. We pray that no foothold would be given to the left to distort truth.

Father God, we pray for a fully functioning nine-member Supreme Court seated as soon as possible and that those nine Justices would be able to vote and be free from demands for recusal. We ask that plans of confusion, chaos, and courts be silenced in Your name, Jesus.

Lord, may You grant Judge Barrett and her White House advisors’ knowledge and discernment to protect them from deceptive and dishonest attempts to disqualify her from performing the duties she will be empowered to perform.

(Excerpt from Fox News. Article by Brooke Singman. Photo Credit: Getty Images.)

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