Even after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, at least three Republican senators remain undecided.
According to The Hill, “Senate Republican moderates remain undecided on how to vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after nearly eight hours of testimony before the Judiciary Committee.”
The report noted that the three GOP senators – Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Jeff Flake (AZ) – met with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin after the competing testimonies.
The Democratic senator said he and his three moderate Republican colleagues haven’t yet made a decision on how they’ll vote on Kavanaugh‘s nomination.
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More from The Hill:
Manchin said it did not appear that Collins, Murkowski or Flake had decided how to vote on Kavanaugh, who vigorously denied allegations that he attempted to sexually assault Christine Blasey Ford when they were both in high school.
“Everyone’s trying to get some answers to a few things and we’ll go from there,” Manchin said after meeting with his GOP colleagues. “We’ve talked and we’re still talking. There’s no decisions made on anything, I can assure you of that.
“There are some concerns that people have and they’re going to try to close the loop,” he told reporters.
“We’re friends. We talk. There’s no decisions on anything. No one told me they made a decision and we’re all still looking and talking and comparing,” he added.
This could be a troubling sign for Brett Kavanaugh
While the usual Trump-enabling Republicans were quick to rally behind Brett Kavanaugh after his unprofessional tantrum on Thursday, the fact that the three moderates aren’t yet sold could be a bad sign for the judge.
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake is a particularly important vote for Kavanaugh as the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he sits on, is still scheduled to hold a vote on Friday morning on whether to proceed with his nomination.
If Flake does the right thing and opposes this nomination, it essentially doesn’t matter what the other two Republican senators decide.
Ultimately, the competing testimonies on Thursday made it clear that Kavanaugh‘s nomination should, at worst, be delayed until a full and thorough FBI investigation takes place and, at best, withdrawn.
It’s up to these few Republican senators to do the right thing and save the integrity of the United States Supreme Court.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
