Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake says he will vote for Brett Kavanaugh

After a flurry of last-minute negotiations, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court after agreeing to a late call from Republican Sen. Moments later, he was cornered by two women as he got into an elevator.

“You’re telling all women in American they don’t matter”, one howled at him.

Flake said he had to go to a hearing.

J.D. Durkin, a reporter for the business news site Cheddar, also identified one of the women as Gallagher, from Westchester, NY., and said she was “shaken minutes after this exchange when we spoke – but said she was incredibly proud of speaking up”. She told her story for the first time.

Shortly after the announcement, Flake was walking into an elevator when two women ran up to him and stood blocking the doors. “I’ve issued my statement”, Flake said.

The American Bar Association urged the Judiciary committee and the full Senate to hold off the vote until the FBI had investigated the assault claims.

The dramatic scene unfolded a day after Kavanaugh and an accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, testified in an emotional, hours-long hearing.

Blumenthal contended his testimony would help corroborate Ford’s version of what happened. Grassley who is doing a very good job.

I do believe Judge Kavanaugh.

The official tally was along party lines, 11-10.

Predictably, the other Committee Republicans are still fighting the investigation, but no matter what happens, there’s no doubt these women made a difference today. This morning, the Republican from Arizona said he would vote yes to confirm.

Flake made it clear, however, that a delay for an Federal Bureau of Investigation probe would be required if he were to approve Kavanaugh in the full Senate, where Republicans have a 51-49 majority.

The committee voted down motion, offered by Sen. “My answer is no, no”.

The final days of the process have been among the most bitter and tense in recent history on Capitol Hill. Kavanaugh himself touted that rating at Thursday’s emotionally-charged hearing where he denied Ford’s sworn testimony that he attempted to rape her when they were teenagers.

Trump’s nominee will now proceed to the Senate floor. He described the chamber as “Alice In Wonderland”.

Later Friday afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a statement saying an agreement had been reached to ask President Trump to instruct the FBI to conduct a supplemental background investigation.

Particularly, Leahy zeroed in on the nominee’s role in George W. Bush-era terrorist detention and interrogation programs.

He noted Democrats would have picked someone else to fill the seat of retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.