Conservatives are furious that GOP Sen. Jeff Flake might wreck Kavanaugh's confirmation vote

Jeff Flake.
(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

After Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) voted to recommend Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh but called for a one-week delay of the full Senate vote on his confirmation, conservatives unleashed fury over his last-minute complication.

"Jeff Flake is an absolute disgrace," said conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, "He's clinging to relevance." Also calling Flake a "disgrace," conservative personality Michelle Malkin called a potential investigation a useless "charade."

Flake had told the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of its vote that he would "only be comfortable [voting yes on the floor if] the FBI has done more investigation than they have already," saying his Democratic counterparts are "justifiably uncomfortable moving ahead" and that "this country's being ripped apart" by the controversy. Kavanaugh has been accused by three women of sexual misconduct, which he vehemently denied during a hearing on Thursday, following testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, who says he once forcibly groped her.

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Other prominent conservatives said a short investigation would do nothing but fan the flames that have engulfed the confirmation process. "Yes, Jeff Flake, I'm sure another week of this circus will definitely cool passions when next we take a vote," wrote The Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro.

Fellow swing voter Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), however, was reportedly on board with Flake's decision to throw a wrench in the GOP's efforts to confirm Kavanaugh as quickly as possible. She agreed that the FBI should have an investigation that is "limited in scope," but some Kavanaugh supporters found it ridiculous that the Senate should have any control over the FBI's work.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.