Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Friday, demanded a one-week delay on a full chamber vote so the FBI can probe sexual assaul allegations against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. (Photo: C-SPAN/screenshot)
As Flake Demands One-Week Delay, Warnings That Key Senators Could Use FBI Probe as 'Political Cover' to Confirm Kavanaugh
"Of course there should be an FBI investigation," says Sen. Chris Murphy. "But whatever they find doesn't change the fact that Kavanaugh... is the most dangerous Supreme Court pick of our lifetime."
In a move that could give fence-sitting senators from both parties "political cover" in a full Senate vote to confirm U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called for a one-week delay so that the FBI can probe sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, even as he voted with 10 other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee on Friday to advance the nomination to the full chamber.
"If the FBI finds nothing new (as is likely), Collins, Murkowski, and Manchin are unquestionably more likely to vote yes."
--Lachlan Markay, Daily Beast
While Flake's threat to oppose Kavanaugh unless Republican leaders allow an investigation comes after Democratic lawmakers and protesters across the nation have spent days demanding such a probe, observers are warning that Flake and others may use it to eventually vote in favor of President Donald Trump's nominee.
After Flake, during a committee meeting on Friday, called for federal investigators to look into "current allegations"--Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez, and Julie Swetnick have publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault--Splinter News senior writer Hamilton Nolan tweeted:
Flake is considered a key swing vote if and when Kavanaugh's nomination is brought to the Senate floor--along with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) as well as Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.).
Murkowski told CNN on Friday that as long a probe is "limited in time and scope," she also supports "the FBI having an opportunity to bring some closure to this." Manchin and Collins released separate statements declaring their support for a one-week FBI investigation.
Daily Beast reporter Lachlan Markay posited on Twitter that if federal investigators don't uncover any new information about the alleged assaults that hasn't already been revealed in Thursday's hearing--which featured testimony from Ford--or media reports, "Collins, Murkowski, and Manchin are unquestionably more likely to vote yes."
Trump is required to sign off on the FBI reopening its background investigation into Kavanaugh. Asked about his willingness to do so by reporters at the White House on Friday, the president said that he "will be totally reliant on what" Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) "and the group decides to do."
The Senate Judiciary Committee, in a short statement on Friday, confirmed that it "will request that the administration instruct the FBI to conduct a supplemental FBI background investigation" that "would be limited to current credible allegations against the nominee and must be completed no later than one week from today," or Oct. 5.
"Yes, of course there should be an FBI investigation. But whatever they find doesn't change the fact that Kavanaugh, especially after his performance yesterday, is the most dangerous Supreme Court pick of our lifetime."
--Sen. Chris Murphy
When the committee's ranking member, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), asked Kavanaugh during Thursday's hearing why he wasn't demanding an FBI probe himself, he said, "I'll do whatever the committee wants."
The Senate's second-ranking Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, told Bloomberg on Friday that while party leaders have agreed to a one-week delay to allow for an investigation, they still plan to hold a procedural vote on Saturday, as previously planned.
While some Senate Democrats expressed support for the investigation, they also noted that Kavanaugh's record as a federal judge had raised widespread alarm even before multiple sexual assault allegations surfaced.
"Yes, of course there should be an FBI investigation," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted Friday. "But whatever they find doesn't change the fact that Kavanaugh, especially after his performance yesterday, is the most dangerous Supreme Court pick of our lifetime."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
In a move that could give fence-sitting senators from both parties "political cover" in a full Senate vote to confirm U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called for a one-week delay so that the FBI can probe sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, even as he voted with 10 other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee on Friday to advance the nomination to the full chamber.
"If the FBI finds nothing new (as is likely), Collins, Murkowski, and Manchin are unquestionably more likely to vote yes."
--Lachlan Markay, Daily Beast
While Flake's threat to oppose Kavanaugh unless Republican leaders allow an investigation comes after Democratic lawmakers and protesters across the nation have spent days demanding such a probe, observers are warning that Flake and others may use it to eventually vote in favor of President Donald Trump's nominee.
After Flake, during a committee meeting on Friday, called for federal investigators to look into "current allegations"--Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez, and Julie Swetnick have publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault--Splinter News senior writer Hamilton Nolan tweeted:
Flake is considered a key swing vote if and when Kavanaugh's nomination is brought to the Senate floor--along with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) as well as Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.).
Murkowski told CNN on Friday that as long a probe is "limited in time and scope," she also supports "the FBI having an opportunity to bring some closure to this." Manchin and Collins released separate statements declaring their support for a one-week FBI investigation.
Daily Beast reporter Lachlan Markay posited on Twitter that if federal investigators don't uncover any new information about the alleged assaults that hasn't already been revealed in Thursday's hearing--which featured testimony from Ford--or media reports, "Collins, Murkowski, and Manchin are unquestionably more likely to vote yes."
Trump is required to sign off on the FBI reopening its background investigation into Kavanaugh. Asked about his willingness to do so by reporters at the White House on Friday, the president said that he "will be totally reliant on what" Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) "and the group decides to do."
The Senate Judiciary Committee, in a short statement on Friday, confirmed that it "will request that the administration instruct the FBI to conduct a supplemental FBI background investigation" that "would be limited to current credible allegations against the nominee and must be completed no later than one week from today," or Oct. 5.
"Yes, of course there should be an FBI investigation. But whatever they find doesn't change the fact that Kavanaugh, especially after his performance yesterday, is the most dangerous Supreme Court pick of our lifetime."
--Sen. Chris Murphy
When the committee's ranking member, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), asked Kavanaugh during Thursday's hearing why he wasn't demanding an FBI probe himself, he said, "I'll do whatever the committee wants."
The Senate's second-ranking Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, told Bloomberg on Friday that while party leaders have agreed to a one-week delay to allow for an investigation, they still plan to hold a procedural vote on Saturday, as previously planned.
While some Senate Democrats expressed support for the investigation, they also noted that Kavanaugh's record as a federal judge had raised widespread alarm even before multiple sexual assault allegations surfaced.
"Yes, of course there should be an FBI investigation," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted Friday. "But whatever they find doesn't change the fact that Kavanaugh, especially after his performance yesterday, is the most dangerous Supreme Court pick of our lifetime."
In a move that could give fence-sitting senators from both parties "political cover" in a full Senate vote to confirm U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called for a one-week delay so that the FBI can probe sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, even as he voted with 10 other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee on Friday to advance the nomination to the full chamber.
"If the FBI finds nothing new (as is likely), Collins, Murkowski, and Manchin are unquestionably more likely to vote yes."
--Lachlan Markay, Daily Beast
While Flake's threat to oppose Kavanaugh unless Republican leaders allow an investigation comes after Democratic lawmakers and protesters across the nation have spent days demanding such a probe, observers are warning that Flake and others may use it to eventually vote in favor of President Donald Trump's nominee.
After Flake, during a committee meeting on Friday, called for federal investigators to look into "current allegations"--Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez, and Julie Swetnick have publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault--Splinter News senior writer Hamilton Nolan tweeted:
Flake is considered a key swing vote if and when Kavanaugh's nomination is brought to the Senate floor--along with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) as well as Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.).
Murkowski told CNN on Friday that as long a probe is "limited in time and scope," she also supports "the FBI having an opportunity to bring some closure to this." Manchin and Collins released separate statements declaring their support for a one-week FBI investigation.
Daily Beast reporter Lachlan Markay posited on Twitter that if federal investigators don't uncover any new information about the alleged assaults that hasn't already been revealed in Thursday's hearing--which featured testimony from Ford--or media reports, "Collins, Murkowski, and Manchin are unquestionably more likely to vote yes."
Trump is required to sign off on the FBI reopening its background investigation into Kavanaugh. Asked about his willingness to do so by reporters at the White House on Friday, the president said that he "will be totally reliant on what" Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) "and the group decides to do."
The Senate Judiciary Committee, in a short statement on Friday, confirmed that it "will request that the administration instruct the FBI to conduct a supplemental FBI background investigation" that "would be limited to current credible allegations against the nominee and must be completed no later than one week from today," or Oct. 5.
"Yes, of course there should be an FBI investigation. But whatever they find doesn't change the fact that Kavanaugh, especially after his performance yesterday, is the most dangerous Supreme Court pick of our lifetime."
--Sen. Chris Murphy
When the committee's ranking member, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), asked Kavanaugh during Thursday's hearing why he wasn't demanding an FBI probe himself, he said, "I'll do whatever the committee wants."
The Senate's second-ranking Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, told Bloomberg on Friday that while party leaders have agreed to a one-week delay to allow for an investigation, they still plan to hold a procedural vote on Saturday, as previously planned.
While some Senate Democrats expressed support for the investigation, they also noted that Kavanaugh's record as a federal judge had raised widespread alarm even before multiple sexual assault allegations surfaced.
"Yes, of course there should be an FBI investigation," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted Friday. "But whatever they find doesn't change the fact that Kavanaugh, especially after his performance yesterday, is the most dangerous Supreme Court pick of our lifetime."