Pence and Murkowski have "lovely interaction" after her no vote on Kavanaugh
After Sen. Lisa Murkowski became the lone Republican to reject Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to be a Supreme Court justice, conservatives across the country railed against her, but that was not the reception she received on the floor of the Senate from her fellow Republicans.
In fact, once the Senate vote was tallied and Kavanaugh was confirmed, many Republicans on the floor embraced the Alaska Republican. One of the most notable moments came when Vice President Mike Pence, who had presided over the vote, walked across the Senate floor and shook Murkowski's hand. The two spoke for nearly one minute as Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, stood next to the pair.
After she left the Senate floor, Murkowski told CBS News about her conversation with the vice president. "We had a very lovely, kind conversation. I greatly appreciate it. I deeply appreciate it," she said.
This "lovely" interaction stood in contrast with President Trump's comments about Murkowski, made to the Washington Post in an interview on Saturday afternoon: "I think she will never recover from this," Mr. Trump told the paper. "I think the people from Alaska will never forgive her for what she did," he added.
Murkowski spoke with reporters after the vote about the sharp partisan discourse that consumed Congress during the Kavanaugh nomination process, "Somebody told me today, 'The Senate is no place for sissies,' which is true. This is hard. It is hard…so you just have to stay focused on the good," she said.
CBS News counted 14 interruptions by protesters today inside the Senate gallery during the vote.
One male protester screamed "You're a coward, Flake!" moments before Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, voted in favor of Kavanaugh. Another protester was shouted down as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, voted yes, the only Democrat to do so.
Manchin turned in his seat and stared back as the protester was removed.
A woman yelled that she was a "sexual assault survivor" as Collins announced her vote.
The final protester interrupted when the final 50-48 tally was announced, yelling, "This is a stain on American history, do you understand that?"
After the final interruption, senators on the floor began embracing each other. Collins and Murkowski hugged tightly. Then Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, also embraced Murkowski and Collins.
One of the most outspoken Republicans in favor of Kavanaugh throughout the nomination process, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was also one of the first senators to give Murkowski a hug and kiss following the vote.