White House confident on Kavanaugh confirmation
WASHINGTON — Republicans said they were confident they had the votes to place Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Supreme Court — if only by the narrowest margin in the last century — after senators spent a tense day on Capitol Hill reviewing an FBI report into allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against President Donald Trump’s nominee.
Two key Republicans, Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine, praised the FBI’s work, brushing aside concerns from Democrats that the allegations weren’t adequately scrutinized.
Neither of the two announced how they would vote, nor did Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a third Republican who had said she was undecided.
But the tone of the comments from Collins (”It appears to be a very thorough investigation”) and Flake (”We’ve seen no additional corroborating information” to back up the charges against Kavanaugh), encouraged Republicans.
If two of the three undeclared Republicans vote for the nomination, it would have 50 votes — enough to put Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, since Vice President Mike Pence could cast a deciding vote in the case of a tie.
Amid protests and dueling news conferences, the uncertainty about the outcome left Capitol Hill charged with suspense before a key procedural vote on the nomination, scheduled for Friday morning.
The result of that vote will all but decide whether Trump’s choice will reach the court and, his supporters hope, push it in a more conservative direction. Lawmakers typically — although not always — go the same way on preliminary votes and final passage, especially on an issue as highprofile as the Kavanaugh confirmation.
If the nomination clears that hurdle, a final vote is to take place on Saturday, providing the conclusion to one of the most bitter partisan battles of the #MeToo era, which has brought concerns about gender equality and sexual assault to the forefront of the country’s political and cultural stages.
A possible hitch arose Thursday night when Sen. Steve Daines, RMont., who supports Kavanaugh, revealed his daughter is getting married in his home state Saturday evening and that he will not be in D.C. to vote. If the count on Kavanaugh ends up being tight, that might force GOP leaders to postpone again, perhaps until Monday.
The White House last week ordered the FBI to do a limited supplemental investigation of Kavanaugh after pressure from the three undecided Republican senators, who had threatened to withhold their votes.
The probe focused on two allegations from Kavanaugh’s youth: that he had assaulted Christine Blasey Ford, now a Palo Alto University professor, who testified in an explosive Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Sept. 27; and that he had exposed himself to classmate Deborah Ramirez at a dorm party at Yale. He has denied the allegations.
Democrats and Republicans took turns Thursday visiting a secure room on Capitol Hill that held a single copy of the FBI’s report, which includes about 46 pages summarizing interviews with nine people.
Senators could read the report or discuss it with a handful of staff members authorized to review the document, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, RKy., refused to make it public despite urging from both sides of the aisle.
Republicans said there was no corroboration for the allegations against Kavanaugh, a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and they blamed the Democrats for trying to stall. “This is a search-and-destroy mission,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. “This is not a search for the truth.”
Democrats, already inclined to believe the women who have accused Kavanaugh, said the investigation was incomplete, pointing to potential witnesses who were not contacted.
“The most notable part of this report is what’s not in it,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. “It looks to be a product of an incomplete investigation that was limited.”
Outside the secure room, Capitol Hill was awash in protests. Hundreds gathered in one of the Senate office buildings on Thursday afternoon, filling the atrium and lining the railings on floors above, to denounce Kavanaugh and Republicans. More showed up outside the Supreme Court building, where Kavanaugh may serve as the second justice nominated by Trump.