The Senate has voted to invoke cloture, 51-49, which will limit the debate on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to 30 hours.
This sets up a confirmation vote for Saturday afternoon.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) has a predicament this weekend. He has to walk his daughter down the aisle on Saturday, but that’s when the confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh should happen.
He announced on Twitter he will comes back to vote yes if needed.
Here they come….
The Senate has voted to limit the debate on Kavanaugh to 30 hours with a simple majority, 51-49.
Republican Sens. Jeff Flake and Susan Collins voted yes while Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted no. Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin voted yes.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley opened the Senate floor with a fantastic speech.
From The Wall Street Journal:
A friend of Christine Blasey Ford told FBI investigators that she felt pressured by Dr. Ford’s allies to revisit her initial statement that she knew nothing about an alleged sexual assault by a teenage Brett Kavanaugh, which she later updated to say that she believed but couldn’t corroborate Dr. Ford’s account, according to people familiar with the matter.Leland Keyser, who Dr. Ford has said was present at the gathering where she was allegedly assaulted in the 1980s, told investigators that Monica McLean, a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and a friend of Dr. Ford’s, had urged her to clarify her statement, the people said.The statement to the FBI offers a glimpse into how Dr. Ford’s allies were working behind the scenes to lobby old classmates to bolster their versions of the alleged incident, as were Judge Kavanaugh’s.
The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed from Kavanaugh last night. He explained in it that he is an “independent, impartial judge,” but also admitted he may have gotten too heated in his defense last week:
I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been. I might have been too emotional at times. I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad. I testified with five people foremost in my mind: my mom, my dad, my wife, and most of all my daughters.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. As a judge, I have always treated colleagues and litigants with the utmost respect. I have been known for my courtesy on and off the bench. I have not changed. I will continue to be the same kind of judge I have been for the last 12 years. And I will continue to contribute to our country as a coach, volunteer, and teacher. Every day I will try to be the best husband, dad, and friend I can be. I will remain optimistic, on the sunrise side of the mountain. I will continue to see the day that is coming, not the day that is gone.
From CBS News:
Sen. Jeff Flake, the Arizona Republican who called for the FBI review in the first place, has yet to say where he stands.Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican moderate from Maine who said she was carefully reviewing all the information Thursday, hasn’t announced her decision.Nor has Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska who enjoys bipartisan support.Sen. Joe Manchin, a vulnerable Democrat in West Virginia, the state that voted most decisively for Mr. Trump in 2016, also has yet to say where he will land.
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