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The Senate Judiciary Committee, in a vote of 11 to 10, confirmed the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The vote comes less than 24 hours after Kavanaugh gave emotionally charged testimony to the committee, alternating between snarls, snappy retorts, and tear-less crying.
Kavanaugh is accused of attempting to rape Dr. Christine Blasey Ford 36 years ago when they were both teenagers. Dr. Ford’s gracious, straight-forward testimony was in stark contrast to Kavanaugh’s delivery. Now 51 years old, Dr. Ford gave her testimony on the same day as Kavanaugh, just an hour or so earlier.
The vote to confirm Kavanaugh comes despite organizations like the American Bar Association advocating for the vote to be delayed to allow for an FBI investigation. Kavanaugh currently has three women accusing him of sexual misconduct.
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As expected, the committee voted along partisan lines. Kavanaugh is a Trump administration pick and hence the GOP favorite. Of the 11 Republicans on the 21-member Senate Judiciary Committee, Jeff Flake (R-AZ) was the one vote that was ever deemed a possible flip. In the past, Flake has been critical of Trump, but has largely voted in favor of Trump’s agenda. Flake is retiring after this term and some thought he might use the opportunity to make a last statement without the possibility of political blowback.
An Unexpected Twist
During the vote, Flake said he was voting to advance Kavanaugh to the full Senate, but he would not vote on the floor until an FBI investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations has been conducted. His request was notable, but it was not part of a motion or amendment.
The original plan was that the Senate would hold a special session over the weekend for procedural votes to allow for a full Senate vote early next week. However, if just one or two Republicans follow Flake’s lead and also demand an investigation, the full Senate vote could actually be delayed by the requested one week. Political observers expect the Senate vote to be along partisan lines as was the committee. There are 51 Republicans in the 100-member U.S. Senate.
All eyes are now on the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who has to decide next steps.
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