FBI report provides key Republicans the fig leaf they were looking for
A pair of key Republican senators expressed satisfaction Thursday with a new FBI report, increasing the odds of Senate confirmation this weekend of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee who has faced sexual misconduct allegations.
Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), one of three Republicans who had not indicated how they plan to vote, said Thursday that “it appears to be a very thorough investigation, but I’m going back later to personally read the interviews.”
Shortly afterward, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who requested the investigation, told reporters that “we’ve seen no additional corroborating information.”
Collins, Flake and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are the critical votes that could ensure Kavanaugh’s ascension to the nation’s highest court.
Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) seemed to acknowledge that there was no corroboration for Ford’s charges in the FBI report, but blamed the scope of the investigation.
“You can’t find what you don’t look for,” he said, adding that “this falls short of my expectations for this investigation.” [Continue reading…]