Kavanaugh scrapes through dramatic hearing, but FBI looms
Republican congressman sides with Democrats to demand investigation before full Senate vote
BRETT KAVANAUGH, the Supreme Court nominee, overcame a major hurdle yesterday when a committee of congressmen approved his confirmation, but he now faces an FBI investigation before a final vote in the US Senate.
In a dramatic day of backroom dealmaking in Washington DC, the Senate Judiciary Committee, which vets candidates, voted along Republicandemocrat lines to progress Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination by 11 votes to 10.
However Jeff Flake, a Republican senator on the committee, unexpectedly said he was only voting to support Mr Kavanaugh on the provision that sexual assault allegations brought against the candidate are investigated by the FBI.
He called for a delay in a vote of all 100 senators – the final step in Mr Kavanaugh’s confirmation process – for up to a week while the FBI carries out its inquiries, insisting that “due diligence” must be shown.
Mr Flake’s shock decision to support the Democrats’ call for the FBI to step in came just hours after he had announced he would be voting for Mr Kavanaugh without conditions.
The key moment in Mr Flake’s change of heart appeared to be when he was confronted in a lift by two victims of sexual assault who demanded to know why he was supporting Mr Kavanaugh. “Don’t look away from me. Look at me and tell me that it doesn’t matter what happened to me!” said one woman, speaking through tears as she kept the lift door open. The scene lasted around four minutes.
The drama on Capitol Hill played out the day after Mr Kavanaugh, 53, and Christine Blasey Ford, a 51-year-old California professor who accuses him of sexual assault, both gave emotional testimony about the allegations.
On Thursday, Prof Ford said she was “100 per cent” sure that Mr Kavanaugh was the person who drunkenly pinned her to a bed and tried to take off her clothes at a high school house party in the summer of 1982.
However, Mr Kavanaugh categorically denied the claim and angrily lashed out at a series of allegations he has faced late in the confirmation process, saying the proceedings had become a “national disgrace”.
It later emerged that Mark Judge, a friend of Mr Kavanaugh who Prof Ford claims witnessed the alleged assault, was willing to cooperate with any FBI investigation but would do so “confidentially”. Two other women – Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick – have
‘You have two children in your family, think about them. What are you doing, sir? This is the future of our country’
also gone public to claim Mr Kavanaugh committed sexual misconduct during his student days. Neither woman has given public testimony. Mr Kavanaugh has denied the claims.
Hanging in the balance is a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, and with it the chance to shape American society for generations to come.
After Thursday’s emotional hearing – broadcast live on television and watched by millions – senators on the committee voted yesterday.
Mr Kavanaugh faced two hurdles: first to get approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee, made up of 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats; then to win a vote from the full US Senate.
Mr Flake, the one Republican who was wavering on the committee, announced on Friday morning that he would be voting for Mr Kavanaugh, effectively confirming the committee would approve the nominee. However, minutes after issuing a press release announcing the decision, he was confronted by two women who said they had been sexually assaulted and demanded an explanation for his stance.
“You have two children in your family. Think about them,” said one woman, fighting back tears. “What are you doing, sir? This is the future of our country.”
Later that day, just moments before the committee was due to vote, Mr Flake left the room. He huddled with Democratic senators and appeared to be reconsidering his decision.
Then he announced a change in position. Mr Flake said he would vote through Mr Kavanaugh at the committee stage but demanded a delay in the full Senate vote of up to a week while the FBI investigates – matching a key Democratic demand.
Mr Flake said: “This country is being ripped apart here, and we’ve got to make sure that we do due diligence... I do think we can have a short pause and make sure that the FBI can investigate.”
After the comments a vote was held and the committee approved Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination.
onald Trump, the US president, last night bowed to pressure and ordered an FBI investigation. Just days earlier he had said the FBI did not want to look at the claims.
He said in a statement that the inquiry must be “limited in scope” and be completed in “less than one week”. Mr Kavanaugh confirmed in a statement that he would “cooperate”.
All “credible” allegations are expected to be looked at. It is unclear whether that means all three women who have made allegations will be interviewed.
Mr Trump added: “I just want it to work out well for the country. If that happens, I’m happy.”