It took a little explaining and cogitating to really get what Jeff Flake is trying to do. But in the end, it was effective and, just maybe, turned down the rhetorical heat in the Kavanaugh confirmation process (no thanks to Lindsey Graham, who has been frantically turning up the heat in his bid for Trump's notice). Here's the way I understand it.
The Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have a one-vote majority (11 to 10). It takes a simple majority for the committee to recommend that Judge Kavanaugh's name be forwarded to the entire Senate for a confirmation vote. At present, they have the one-vote majority if Flake votes Yes.
Sen. Flake, the only Republican on the 21 member committee that might vote No, thus scuttling the majority, had already announced publicly that he would vote Yes to confirm Kavanaugh. Then he had a tense encounter with two women as he was getting on an elevator. They both told him they were sexual assault survivors and denounced him for not believing the women.
Sen. Flake, who seems to be a pretty decent man, actually listened. When one of the women implored him to look her in the eye as she was talking to him, he actually did look at her and listen. When he returned to the committee room later, he looked very troubled. After a while, he and Democrat Sen. Chris Coons left the room for a talk. Then one by one, or in small group, all the Democrats left the room.
When they all returned, Flake spoke briefly to Chairman Grassley, presumably asking for personal privilege time to speak to the committee, which Grassley granted. Flake explained his plan.
He intended to vote to approve Judge Kavanaugh -- BUT with the stipulation that the committee would ask the Majority Leader to request that President Trump direct the FBI to re-open the background check of Judge Kavanaugh. And Flake said that he would not vote on the procedural vote in the Senate to advance the confirmation vote until such an FBI check of the sexual allegations against Kavanaugh had been carried out on the "current" allegations and limited to one week's time.
Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Joe Manchin have all said that they join Sen. Flake in this -- which means that Mitch McConnell does not have the votes to push this through without the FBI check. President Trump has directed the FBI to do just this, and presumably that has already begun.
That's where it stands. Of course, an extra week not only allows the FBI to investigate the allegations; it also gives Senators and all Americans time to digest and rewatch the two testimonies of Dr. Blasey Ford and Judge Kavanaugh and think about the credibility displayed by each. Then if any corroborating evidence or any refutation adds to understanding the truthfulness of each, a much better informed decision can be made.
Ralph
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment