Senators react to Brett Kavanaugh confirmation vote outside of Judiciary Committee hearing
As the Senate inches closer to confirming Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, senators on both sides of the aisle have passionately argued their support or their opposition for his confirmation in and outside of the hearing room. Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were both teenagers, testified before the Senate on Thursday.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to hold the vote on Kavanaugh at 1:30 p.m., a motion which passed on a party-line vote 11-8. Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris both declined to vote in protest. Booker, Harris and several other Democratic members of the committee then left the committee room in protest and talked to reporters outside the hearing.
Democrats turned the tables on Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who yesterday called the confirmation process an "unethical sham." Harris angrily accused Republicans of pushing the confirmation process without undertaking a proper investigation. Republicans have refused to call for an FBI investigation into the allegations, and to subpoena Mark Judge, one of the key figures named in Ford's testimony.
Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono expressed disappointment with Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who said that he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh Friday morning.
"That's very disappointing because I was really hoping that he would search his soul and recognize that putting someone like Judge Kavavanaugh on the Supreme Court weakens the court, in my view, and I think that it also really sends a message that we are not prepared to deal with or support women who are survivors of this kind of horrific act," Hirono told reporters.
Flake was confronted by several protesters as he tried to leave via a senators' elevator, preventing him from leaving.
"I was sexually assaulted and nobody I believed me. I didn't tell anyone and you're telling all women that they don't matter, that they should just stay quiet, because if they tell you what happened to them, you're going to ignore them," a protester said, as Flake looks down.
Meanwhile, Republicans seemed heartened by Flake's decision to vote for Kavanaugh.
"I think that she's mistaken, with all that I know I think that she's mistaken," Sen. Orrin Hatch said about Ford's testimony. "And I do believe Kavanaugh. I mean he's a straight shooter, he's a very fine man. I think she's a fine woman too, that's what makes this difficult."
Graham, a vocal supporter of Kavanaugh, warned his Democratic colleagues about the future of the committee.
"I'm going to remember the fact that there was a obvious effort to delay," he said.
