His main complaints come down to process.
Sen. Jeff Flake on Friday afternoon threw Democratic and Republican lawmakers for a loop by calling for a delay on the Senate vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. It’s a push the Arizona Republican made in order to give the FBI more time to look into sexual misconduct allegations that have been brought against Kavanaugh, and it confused many, since it followed a definitive statement of support for Kavanaugh that Flake had put out just hours earlier.
After the dust had settled and Republican leadership agreed to Flake’s request to push a key Kavanaugh vote no more than one week, the senator offered reporters some additional insight into his motivations for making this demand as part of a scrum at the Capitol.
Much like the reasoning cited by his fellow Arizonan Sen. John McCain ahead of his iconic health care vote, Flake says his efforts came down to one thing: protecting the sanctity of the confirmation process.
Flake emphasizes that he sees himself aligned with Kavanaugh as a judge when it comes to their shared “conservative” ideology, and he says he “would love to see him confirmed.” He notes, however, that he’ll only be able to fully get behind his nomination if some of the doubts surrounding the sexual misconduct allegations Kavanaugh faces get cleared up.
Here’s Flake’s last-minute announcement, explained — in his own words.
On the exact agreement that’s been reached:
For context, the Senate has already held a vote on a motion to proceed on Kavanaugh’s nomination on Friday. This vote simply brings Kavanaugh’s nomination to the floor and opens up debate.
As Flake has indicated, under the agreement that’s been brokered, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does not intend to hold a “cloture” vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination until after the FBI report has been filed. A cloture vote is a procedural step the Senate must take in order to limit debate on the nomination, so that a final vote on his confirmation can advance.
On wanting to support Judge Kavanaugh:
On whether the sexual assault survivors he spoke with in the elevator on Friday affected his decision:
On why he waited so long to make this statement:
On what Democrats said in the back room during the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Friday:
President Donald Trump on Friday directed the FBI to open an investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations Kavanaugh faces. Now the countdown begins.
