September 28, 2018

Senate Judiciary Committee Votes to Move Brett Kavanaugh Nomination Forward

At the last minute, Sen. Jeff Flake calls for a one-week delay in the floor vote.

Win McNamee/AP

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The Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday voted along party lines to move Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, one day after Christine Blasey Ford gave heart-wrenching testimony detailing sexual assault allegations against President Donald Trump’s pick to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the high court.

Kavanaugh defiantly denied the allegations in a follow-up hearing Thursday and openly accused Democrats of plotting to sink his nomination out of revenge over the results of the 2016 presidential election.

Despite mounting calls to halt the nomination until an FBI investigation is completed, Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans vowed to hammer through the process with a vote. While a floor vote is currently scheduled for next week, shortly before the committee’s vote, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called for a one-week delay before the full Senate vote to allow additional FBI investigation. It’s unclear what impact the move will have; Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is ultimately responsible for the Senate’s calendar.

Earlier Friday, Flake was dramatically confronted by a survivor of sexual assault while in a Senate elevator.

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