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Her mockery of Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party in the early 1980s, garnered applause from the crowd. But the reaction of the handful of undecided senators about Trump's candidate and the support the president will need for Kavanaugh to get confirmation in the country's highest court is less clear.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised on Tuesday that a vote would be held on the appointment of Mr. Kavanaugh by the end of the week, regardless of the results of the investigation. the FBI on the charges against the candidate.
McConnell's work of bickering key Republican senators – he can afford to lose only one vote in his caucus – may have become more difficult after Trump decided that it was time to make fun of the Ford's dramatic testimony before the Judiciary Committee of the Senate last week.
"I had a beer, well, do you think it was … no, it was a beer," said Trump at the rally in Southaven, Mississippi. "How did you get home? I do not remember how did you get there? I do not remember. Where is the place? I do not m & # 39; Remember how many years ago I do not know. "
Tuesday night evening, it was announced that the investigation had been expanded to include interviews with Kavanaugh's friends about a July 1, 1982 party listed on the candidates' calendar. Democrats focused on this Kavanaugh calendar date as the day when the alleged Ford assault could have occurred, as she herself does not remember the date.
Senators have been arguing this week over the candidacy and further investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh, which began last week after Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, asked for Opening an investigation following Ford's heartrending testimony, which claims that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her. they were both in high school and Kavanaugh himself, who vehemently denied this accusation.
The fate of the appointment is expected to depend on a small group of undecided senators, including Flake as well as Republican Sens Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
Flake suggested Tuesday that the timing of voting should depend on the investigation, despite McConnell's promises to vote this week.
When asked if he was in favor of a vote on Friday, Flake replied, "It depends on the investigation by the FBI."
Conflict over the scope of the investigation, publication of the FBI report
The main points of contention between Democrats and Republicans have been the scope of the investigation and what will happen to the release of the FBI's report on the investigation.
The Committee's request immediately raised questions on which allegations would be considered credible.
In addition to Ford 's accusation, two other women have made public allegations about the candidate.
A dispute between senators has also emerged over how the publication of the FBI report should be handled and whether its content should be made public.
McConnell said on Tuesday that the report would not be made public, saying "only senators would be allowed to examine it". But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York on Tuesday called for a public release, saying: "There is a growing consensus in the Senate that once the FBI investigation is complete, the findings of this investigation must be made public, any personal information having been redacted ".
Even some Republicans, including the Senate whip, John Cornyn, of Texas, and Senator Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, have called for the publication of at least part of the FBI's assessment.
"There must be some kind of public statement – if it's the reports themselves – since since the prosecution was made public, it seems to me that people will not be satisfied as long as "There will not be a public statement on what the FBI does a complementary background investigation shows," Cornyn said.
Whenever he arrives on Capitol Hill, it seems that the report is still in camera. According to an Assistant to the Senate Judiciary Chair, Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, the committee had not yet been informed of when it would receive the additional background investigation Tuesday night. When it arrives, the assistant will inform that there will be a physical copy of the background investigation file that will be stored in a safe in the committee offices. The 100 people and nine staff members who can read the FBI file are the only ones who can read the FBI file.
The Democrats aim at Kavanaugh to drink; Events target key senators
As tensions mounted, the Democrats suggested that Kavanaugh had not told the truth in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, opening a new line of attack against the troubled candidate.
"Issues of credibility, truth, constantly arise with Judge Kavanaugh," Schumer said Tuesday, adding that "given what he had said about his alcohol consumption, what about He had said about his high school yearbook, which defies all the senses and even defy the objective truth, Americans have good reason to doubt the credibility of this man. "
Another sign of tension surrounding the candidacy and the investigation, several Republican senators were targeted by activists during demonstrations videotaped.
Last week, Flake was confronted by protesters in a dramatic moment broadcast live on CNN. The incident occurred before he called for an FBI investigation and soon after he had announced his intention to support the bid.
McConnell and Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee have also been facing activists in recent days.
"It was obvious to me, it was only to get a video," Corker told reporters on Tuesday. "It's not even about the Senate, for me it's the current situation in the country and we, as a nation, have to find a way to begin to unite … for the moment, there's so much of problems that separate us. "
CNN's Manu Raju, Arlette Saenz, Sunlen Serfaty, Kate Sullivan, Lauren Fox, Sara Sidner, Vogue Ariane and Kyle Feldscher contributed to this report.
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