Brett Kavanaugh poised for confirmation as US SC judge
Key Republicans think FBI found no proof against him
WASHINGTON: The US Senate is expected to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, on Saturday, ending weeks of partisan political battle, allegations of sexual assault, emotional and angry testimonies and an FBI investigation.
Kavanaugh’s confirmation became certain, barring last minute surprises, after three senators — two Republicans and one Democrat — announced their support for him on Friday, giving the judge enough votes to send him to join the nine-member Supreme Court bench.
Senator Susan Collins, one of the two Republicans, set the stage announcing her support in a speech in which she argued that the allegations of sexual assault made by Christine Blasey Ford against the nominee did not pass the “more likely than not” test.
“The facts presented do not mean that professor Ford was not sexually assaulted that night – or at some other time – but they do lead me to conclude that the allegations fail to meet the ‘more likely than not’ standard,” she said. “Therefore, I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent judge Kavanaugh from serving on the court.”
The two other senators, Jeff Flake, a Republican, and Joe Manchin, a Democrat, followed suit. Manchin is up for re-election in a Republican-leaning state, which Trump won handily in 2016. One Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski, had earlier announced she will vote against Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh was cruising towards an easy confirmation in the Republican-controlled Senate three weeks ago when Ford’s allegations were brought to light first anonymously and then by herself in an interviews. She had alleged Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school.