This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/05/brett-kavanaugh-us-senate-vote-supreme-court
The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Senate votes 51-49 to send Kavanaugh nomination to final floor vote | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Republicans in the US Senate, with the help of a lone Democrat, have voted to advance Brett Kavanaugh to a final floor vote, propelling the federal judge one step closer to the supreme court. | |
| Faced with multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, Kavanaugh cleared a key procedural hurdle on Friday in a narrow 51-49 vote that fell sharply along party lines. The outcome paved the way for a final vote as early as Saturday. | |
| It nonetheless remained unclear if Donald Trump’s embattled pick for America’s highest court would ultimately have the votes to be confirmed. | |
| A handful of key senators tipped their hand in Friday’s procedural motion but signaled their votes were not cast in stone. Two of the chamber’s closely watched moderate Republicans, Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine, voted in favor of advancing Kavanaugh, while Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the judge. Joe Manchin, a senator up for re-election in conservative West Virginia, was the lone Democrat to break with his party. | |
| “This is one vote that we probably won’t know until the votes are actually cast,” Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, told reporters on Capitol Hill. | “This is one vote that we probably won’t know until the votes are actually cast,” Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, told reporters on Capitol Hill. |
| The uncertainty lingered one day after the FBI completed an investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh, the results of which fell firmly along party lines. Republicans swiftly declared that the FBI’s report, which was shrouded in secrecy and accessed only by senators and a select group of staffers, absolved Kavanaugh of any wrongdoing. | The uncertainty lingered one day after the FBI completed an investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh, the results of which fell firmly along party lines. Republicans swiftly declared that the FBI’s report, which was shrouded in secrecy and accessed only by senators and a select group of staffers, absolved Kavanaugh of any wrongdoing. |
| Democrats meanwhile condemned the investigation – the parameters of which were reportedly set by the White House – as preordained. | Democrats meanwhile condemned the investigation – the parameters of which were reportedly set by the White House – as preordained. |
| Investigators did not interview Kavanaugh or Christine Blasey Ford, the research psychiatrist who alleged he attempted to rape her when the two were teenagers in the early 1980s. Ford’s legal team complained that several witnesses that could help corroborate her account were not contacted. Deborah Ramirez, a second accuser who said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her while the two attended Yale University, voiced similar frustration. | Investigators did not interview Kavanaugh or Christine Blasey Ford, the research psychiatrist who alleged he attempted to rape her when the two were teenagers in the early 1980s. Ford’s legal team complained that several witnesses that could help corroborate her account were not contacted. Deborah Ramirez, a second accuser who said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her while the two attended Yale University, voiced similar frustration. |
| As swing-vote senators processed the FBI’s findings, Kavanaugh was forced to fend off another criticism of his nomination: his temperament. | As swing-vote senators processed the FBI’s findings, Kavanaugh was forced to fend off another criticism of his nomination: his temperament. |
| In an unexpected move on the eve of Friday’s vote, the retired supreme court justice John Paul Stevens said Kavanaugh’s strikingly partisan tone while denying the allegations against him before the Senate judiciary committee last week should disqualify him. | In an unexpected move on the eve of Friday’s vote, the retired supreme court justice John Paul Stevens said Kavanaugh’s strikingly partisan tone while denying the allegations against him before the Senate judiciary committee last week should disqualify him. |
| “His performance in the hearings changed my mind,” said Stevens, a lifelong Republican. “The senators should pay attention to this.” | “His performance in the hearings changed my mind,” said Stevens, a lifelong Republican. “The senators should pay attention to this.” |
| More than 2,400 law professors from across the country also signed a letter urging the Senate not to confirm Kavanaugh, citing his “aggressive” demeanor in the hearing. | More than 2,400 law professors from across the country also signed a letter urging the Senate not to confirm Kavanaugh, citing his “aggressive” demeanor in the hearing. |
| Kavanaugh sought to quell concerns over his judicial restraint in an op-ed published late on Thursday in the conservative editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal. The judge said his angry testimony, which was brutally parodied by Matt Damon on Saturday Night Live, “reflected my overwhelming frustration at being wrongly accused”. | Kavanaugh sought to quell concerns over his judicial restraint in an op-ed published late on Thursday in the conservative editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal. The judge said his angry testimony, which was brutally parodied by Matt Damon on Saturday Night Live, “reflected my overwhelming frustration at being wrongly accused”. |
| “I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been. I might have been too emotional at times,” Kavanaugh wrote. “I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. | “I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been. I might have been too emotional at times,” Kavanaugh wrote. “I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. |
| “Going forward, you can count on me to be the same kind of judge and person I have been for my entire 28-year legal career: hardworking, even-keeled, open-minded, independent and dedicated to the constitution and the public good.” | “Going forward, you can count on me to be the same kind of judge and person I have been for my entire 28-year legal career: hardworking, even-keeled, open-minded, independent and dedicated to the constitution and the public good.” |
| Brett Kavanaugh | Brett Kavanaugh |
| US politics | US politics |
| US Senate | US Senate |
| US Congress | US Congress |
| Democrats | Democrats |
| Republicans | Republicans |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |