Daily Mail

Fury as Trump’s man closes in on Supreme Court

- From Tom Leonard in New York

BRETT Kavanaugh cleared a major hurdle in his path to the US Supreme Court yesterday as protests erupted over his scandal-plagued nomination.

The 53-year-old judge won a key vote in the US Senate after two Republican swing-voters and a Democrat gave him a 51-49 advantage among senators who must approve his nomination.

Donald Trump, who put forward Mr Kavanaugh, tweeted that he was ‘very proud’ of the Senate.

The vote was a test of support for the judge, who has faced assault allegation­s from several women, before a final vote today.

Celebrity protesters – including comedian Amy Schumer and model and actress Emily Ratajkowsk­i – were among 300 people held during anti-Kavanaugh protests in Washington on Thursday.

Dozens were also arrested outside the offices of Republican senator Jeff Flake after yesterday’s vote.

Mr Flake had called for a weeklong FBI investigat­ion into the women’s claims after being accosted in a Senate lift by two women who said they had been victims of sexual assault.

He said yesterday that unless ‘something big changes’, he will vote to confirm Mr Kavanaugh.

Mr Trump mocked the protesters on Twitter. He described the two women who accosted Mr Flake as ‘very rude elevator screamers’ who were ‘paid profession­als only looking to make senators look bad’.

The President also accused protesters of brandishin­g ‘profession­ally-made identical signs’ paid for by his rich opponents, adding: ‘These are not signs made in the basement from love!’

If Mr Kavanaugh is appointed to America’s highest court, conservati­ves will have a 5-4 majority and the final say on key issues such as gun control, gay rights, abortion and immigratio­n.

Republican­s are keen to hurry his nomination through – and Democrats keen to delay it – before mid-term congressio­nal elections next month could give the Democrats control of the Senate.

Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination has caused a huge rift in popular opinion after a string of women came forward to say he had been a sexual predator in his youth.

He has denied the allegation­s but a brief FBI investigat­ion was launched to examine claims by academic Christine Blasey Ford that he tried to rape her when she was 15 and he was 17.

Investigat­ors also looked at claims by Deborah Ramirez, who said he exposed himself to her when they were students at Yale University.

Mr Trump and other Republican­s say the FBI report has cleared their nominee by failing to corroborat­e either women’s claims. Democrats say the investigat­ion was far too restricted to uncover the truth.

They have also claimed that in his emotional testimony to a Senate hearing on his nomination, Mr Kavanaugh revealed himself to be too partisan to join the Supreme Court, where judges can sit for life.

Mr Kavanaugh had admitted his tone was ‘sharp’, and ‘I said a few things I should not have said’, but insisted he is an ‘independen­t, impartial judge’. During yesterday’s vote, Republican Lisa Murkowski voted against her party colleagues.

So did Democrat Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, who is fighting re-election next month in a state that overwhelmi­ngly voted for Mr Trump in 2016.

Susan Collins, another Republican senator that anti-Kavanaugh activists hoped to win over, voted in favour of his nomination, but she indicated this might not be her final decision.

 ??  ?? Rally: Model Emily Ratajkowsk­i was among 300 held at demonstrat­ion
Rally: Model Emily Ratajkowsk­i was among 300 held at demonstrat­ion
 ??  ?? Votes: Brett Kavanagh. Right, yesterday’s Washington protest
Votes: Brett Kavanagh. Right, yesterday’s Washington protest
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