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By LISA MASCARO, ALAN FRAM and CATHERINE LUCEY, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh gained the support of a key Republican senator Friday, virtually ensuring his nomination will advance to the full Senate a day after he adamantly denied the high-school-years sexual assault of a woman who testified she was “100 percent” he was guilty.
The vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee was set for 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Republican Chairman Chuck Grassley announced as the panel gaveled to order. Emotions running high, several Democratic senators walked out for a time in protest.
Moments before the panel convened, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, a member of the panel, announced he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh, who he said was entitled to the “presumption of innocence … absent corroborating evidence.”
“While some may argue that a different standard should apply regarding the Senate’s advice and consent responsibilities, I believe that the Constitution’s provisions of fairness and due process apply here as well,” Flake said. “I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.”
Tensions were high inside and outside the hearing room and protesters swarmed Capitol Hill. Two women cornered Flake in an elevator and, through tears, implored him to change his mind.
“Frankly, we’ve reached a point where it’s time end the circus,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in opening remarks. “It’s time to show some dignity around here. It’s time to vote.”
As soon as the committee opened, Democrats offered a motion to subpoena Mark Judge, a high school friend of Kavanaugh who Ford testified was a witness to the alleged assault.
Judge has said he does not recall the incident, and the motion offered by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. was blocked by Republicans in a vote. Blumenthal and several other Democrats, including Kamala
Harris of California and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, then walked out of the hearing room.
Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said it was like the potential witness had “effectively nailed a do not disturb sign, and apparently the Republicans on this committee are satisfied.”
Leahy said it’s not that Democrats are trying to delay the nomination ahead of the midterm elections as Republicans contend. “This is about doing our job,” he said.
One Democrat not on the committee, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, added his name to the opposition.
Nelson, who faces a tough re-election this fall in the swing state, announced Friday he was voting against Kavanaugh.
Meanwhile, former President George W. Bush has been advocating for Kavanaugh with wavering senators in recent days, according to a person familiar with Bush’s outreach who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.
The White House said it was also engaging with wavering GOP senators, but provided few details. Trump is publicly standing by his nominee.
“His testimony was powerful, honest and riveting,” he tweeted late Thursday. “The Senate must vote!”
Flake’s decision has been among the most watched, and he had told reporters it was “a tough call” as he left the Capitol late Thursday.
The Arizonan had been holed up with other key senators — Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia — after the daylong hearing.
Trump nominated the conservative jurist in what was supposed to be an election year capstone to the GOP agenda, locking in the court’s majority for years to come. Instead the nomination that Republicans were rushing for a vote now hangs precariously after one of the most emotionally charged hearings Capitol Hill has ever seen. Coming amid a national reckoning over sexual misconduct at the top of powerful institutions, it exposed continued divisions over justice, fairness and who should be believed.
And coming weeks before elections, it ensured that debate would play into the fight for control of Congress.
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