x
Breaking News
More () »

Once again, Jeff Flake seizes control of Kavanaugh confirmation

Sen. Jeff Flake voted to advance Kavanaugh's confirmation, but only if an FBI investigation followed.

Twelve days ago, it was Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake who demanded a public hearing for the woman accusing Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh got that hearing Thursday.

"There's no way you can leave that hearing room certain," Flake said of his vote on confirming Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The nine-hour hearing was widely viewed as a new low in American politics.

On Friday morning, Flake gave America a case of whiplash with a new set of demands.

Flake said he'd vote "yes" on confirming Kavanaugh, then changed that to "yes - but."

After talking to Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Flake slammed the brakes on the confirmation process that was days away from putting Kavanaugh on the high court.

The flip-flop came after sexual assault survivors' brutal confrontation with Flake in a Capitol Hill elevator. That video went viral.

Flake demanded and got a one-week delay on the Kavanaugh vote, so the FBI can investigate Ford's sexual assault allegations.

The Senate is now expected to vote on Kavanaugh's nomination no later than next Friday, Oct. 5.

President Trump was cornered by a lame-duck Republican senator who's been his nemesis for three years.

Without Flake and another GOP senator, Lisa Murkowski, Trump and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell don't have the votes to elevate Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

The Kavanaugh confirmation battle has been an issue in Arizona's neck-and-neck U.S. Senate campaign.

12 News got responses from the two candidates, Republican Congresswoman Martha McSally, of Tucson, and Democratic Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema, of Phoenix.

From McSally:

"Both Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford were given the opportunity yesterday to provide testimony. They were both heard, and the Judiciary Committee, the United States Senate, and the American people, listened. Under the Constitution, the Senate's role is to provide advice and consent on this nomination, and to seek the truth. I encourage them to use the next week to gather any additional relevant facts, and then act on this nomination."

From Sinema:

"I am disappointed that the Judiciary Committee moved forward with a vote after yesterday's volatile hearing, and that a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the United States has become an ugly, partisan fight. Dr. Ford and all Americans deserve a full and thorough FBI investigation of the credible allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, and I urge Majority Leader McConnell to ask for that investigation immediately. It must conclude before a floor vote is held."

Before You Leave, Check This Out