Senate Republican leaders announced Friday they have agreed to demands from two moderate Republicans to give the FBI a week to investigate sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, did not say when the Senate would hold a confirmation vote on Kavanaugh, but said he was optimistic a vote would happen. He also said the Senate would start the process by holding the first procedural vote on Kavanaugh Saturday at noon.
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The announcement came after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to advance the nomination to the floor.
At the panel meeting, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., indicated he would not be able to support Kavanaugh on the Senate floor without the investigation.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., started the confirmation process for Kavanaugh on Friday evening, when the Senate moved to begin debate on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh with a bipartisan voice vote.
A voice vote means senators do not have to remain in Washington to record their vote.
Flake said under the terms of the agreement, the second vote, a procedural hurdle known as cloture, won’t be called until the FBI report is complete, which he expects will be by the one-week deadline.
Flake said the FBI would determine what allegation to examine – whether they should be limited to the accusation by Christine Blasey Ford or expanded to include two other claims dating back to Kavanaugh’s teenage years.
“It shouldn’t take that long,” Flake said. “The leader won’t have a cloture vote until the report is filed by the FBI.”
Flake added, “It has to be done within a week or we move forward.”
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The announcement came after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to advance the nomination to the floor.https://t.co/CdhAx7LGEf
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 29, 2018
Gosh, nobody could see that coming. https://t.co/gGrEmHrV1R
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) September 28, 2018
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