GOP senators await FBI report in anxiety filled Capitol
Senators nervously awaited the arrival of a new FBI report on sexual allegations that could make or break Brett Kavanaugh’s tottering Supreme Court nomination Wednesday as aggressive protesters and an unusually strong security response added to a feeling of high anxiety inside the U.S. Capitol.
As lawmakers anticipated the report, expected as early as Wednesday evening, three moderate GOP senators who could decide the conservative jurist’s fate rebuked President Donald Trump for mocking one accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, by mimicking her responses to questions at last week’s dramatic Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Their reactions left Republicans concerned that Trump had complicated their effort to cement Kavanaugh’s support in a chamber where the GOP holds a razor-thin 51-49 majority. Depending on when the FBI report arrived, Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell was expected to trigger a process that could lead to a crucial initial vote Friday and a climactic confirmation roll call over the weekend.
Inside the Capitol, mounting political strains over the approaching election-season showdown were mirrored by growing anxieties over senators’ security following frequent and at times aggressive demonstrations by anti-kavanaugh protesters. Unusually large numbers of Capitol Hill Police officers restricted movements in corridors and formed wedges around senators walking through hallways. Some lawmakers also complained of being confronted outside their homes.
On the Senate floor, Mcconnell, R-KY., claimed the protesters were “part of the organized effort’’ to derail Kavanaugh’s nomination and said, “There is no chance in the world that they’re going to scare us out of doing our duty.’’
Sen. Susan Collins, R-maine, told reporters that Trump’s Tuesday night lampooning of Ford at a Mississippi campaign rally was “just plain wrong.’’ Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-alaska, called it “wholly inappropriate and in my view unacceptable,’’ and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-ariz., said on NBC’S “Today’’ show that the remarks were “kind of appalling.’’ Those GOP senators, along with Democrats Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, have yet to declare how they will vote on Kavanaugh. Other Republicans conceded that Trump’s insults could be damaging.
“All of us need to keep in mind there’s a few people that are on the fence right now. And right now, that’s sort of where our focus needs to be,’’ said Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who has traded barbs with Trump and will retire at year’s end.