Flake opposes Kavanaugh's quick vote, questioning the confirmation

UPDATE:

Senator Jeff Flake, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in an interview Sunday evening that before learning more about Brett Kavanaugh's sexual assault, he was "not comfortable" with the appointment. from Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. scheduled hearing of the Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

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The Arizona senator is one of the 11 Republicans of the small group, and without his support, the candidacy can not go forward given the democratic opposition. "We need to hear from him. And I do not think I'm alone in this area, "Flake told POLITICO.

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Senate Republicans face a discouraging question now that Brett Kavanaugh's accuser has become public: should his candidacy for the Supreme Court continue to be an allegation of sexual assault?

Just hours after the Republican senators had rejected allegations of anonymity and delay to prevent Kavanaugh from going to court, the Washington Post released a report by Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh was screaming at the police station. a holiday in Maryland more than three decades ago. Subsequently, Kavanaugh's defender, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.), Said that Ford should be heard, even though he did not call for a slowing down of the process.

"I would love to hear what she has to say and compare it to all the other information we have received about Judge Kavanaugh," Graham said. "If the committee is to hear from Ms. Ford, it should be done immediately so that the process can continue as planned."

Senate Speaker Chuck Grassley has not yet indicated whether Ford would be heard before the commission, even though a spokesman for the commission said Thursday's vote on Kavanaugh was unchanged. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Had planned to confirm Kavanaugh before the new Supreme Court session on Oct. 1, but a spokesman did not come up with any new schedule on Sunday afternoon. .

Ford wrote a letter to a Democratic congressman detailing the incident, which was then passed on to Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) And that was leaked over the past week. Feinstein said Sunday afternoon that Ford's allegations "weigh heavily on the character of Judge Kavanaugh". She is part of a growing number of Democrats who are demanding that the nomination process be stopped and that a vote in committee on Thursday be delayed.

"Conducting a rail vote would be an insult to the women of America and the integrity of the Supreme Court," said Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Ford told the Post that at the time of the alleged assault, she thought Kavanaugh "could kill me inadvertently".

"He was trying to attack me and take off my clothes," she said.

Republicans are now wondering if Grassley will vote in committee this week without hearing Ford's testimony. And it's still unclear whether undecided Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will support Kavanaugh, although GOP leaders have been extremely confident in his prospects for confirmation.

The Republicans of the Judiciary Committee sent a note criticizing the "tactics and motivations of the Democrats" and calling Feinstein to release "the letter she received in July so that everyone knows what she has known for weeks". And four people close to the White House said they were expecting Republicans to question the accuser's vague recollections and why Feinstein, re-elected in November with the Democratic base eager for Trump, has been accused for months.

Three of these people also said that they expect the president to sue the Kavanaugh accuser rather than appeal to the judge. They noted that Trump had already done so before, not only denouncing his own accusers, but also attacking those of other people, including Alabama's Senate candidate, Roy Moore.

A lawyer close to the White House said the application would not be withdrawn.

"Not at all, not even a clue," said the lawyer. "If anything, it's the opposite. If anyone can be accused of such charges, then you, me, every man should definitely be worried. We can all be accused of something.

Ford, 51, is a professor at Palo Alto University, California, and graduated from the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Md., In 1984. (Kavanaugh graduated from Georgetown Prep in 1983.) a polygraph about Incident, which the newspaper reviewed, and it passed.

The White House issued the same statement on behalf of Kavanaugh last week: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation, I did not do it in high school or any other time." Last week, White House lawyer Don McGahn on Friday received a redacted version of the letter and sent it to Capitol Hill, according to a person familiar with the events.

On Sunday morning, before Ford's history, Senate Republicans pledged to move forward with President Donald Trump's choice, in part because Ford's allegations were anonymous so far. A few hours before Ford became public, Senator John N. Kennedy (R-La.) Of the Senate Judiciary Committee predicted that Kavanaugh was going to get a close confirmation.

"They had this stuff for three months; if they were serious about it, they should have told us about it, "Kennedy told Fox News Sunday," I think every Republican will vote for Judge Kavanaugh. " I think that at least two Democrats, and maybe more, will vote for him.

Senator Thom Tillis (NC), another member of the Judiciary Committee, said he was "shocked" that the information was not published during Kavanaugh's recent confirmation hearings.

"Judge Kavanaugh flatly denied the allegations, and I put some weight on it," Tillis said on "Face the Nation" Sunday. "We will move forward to report it to the committee and confirm it before October."

The new developments may be important as Kavanaugh is still short of votes to be confirmed in the Senate. The choice of high court requires 50 votes to be approved, which means that GOP leaders rely on Murkowski or Collins to break the block. Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) Just appointed to the Senate to replace the late John McCain, giving the GOP another pro-Kavanaugh vote.

Ford did not intend to make his charges public and asked them to remain confidential. She told the Post that she had escaped after Mark Judge, a friend of Kavanaugh, jumped on them. The judge denied that the incident occurred.

Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Who has not met with Kavanaugh, plans to present his claims if he is able to sit down with the candidate this week and told CNN that his fellow Democrats should have raise the question. earlier in the confirmation process, at least in private meetings.

"These disturbing allegations deserve an in-depth review and the American people deserve answers, we need to pause on this process until we have more information," Jones said on Twitter after the release. from Ford.

Jones is part of a small group of undecided Democrats, a list also including Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana .

Donnelly, Heitkamp and Manchin voted for Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Supreme Court last year. Manchin asks for a second meeting with Kavanaugh.

Kavanaugh has passed many FBI background checks, but the letter was added to his file only after Feinstein referred him to the Department of Justice. Now, senators will all have access to the letter now that it has been added to the background files.

"I support Ms. Ford's decision to share her story, and now that she has, it's up to the FBI to investigate. This should happen before the Senate goes ahead with this candidate, "Feintein said Sunday afternoon.

But Republicans have shown no indication that they were going to pause, and it's unlikely that they will do it unless Collins, Murkowksi or another Republican raises the red flag, according to a person working on the appointment. If the committee proceeds, Thursday's vote should be the party line, with the Republicans closely controlling the Senate and the committee. The majority of the GOP's 51 seats can afford a defection in the Senate if no Democrat supports Kavanaugh.

Darren Samuelsohn and Eliana Johnson contributed to this report.