Flake calls on Senate Judiciary Committee to delay Kavanaugh vote


Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Sunday evening said a woman who accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault while they were in high school "must be heard" before the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on his Supreme Court nomination.
The panel is scheduled to vote on Thursday. Earlier Sunday, The Washington Post published the account of Christine Blasey Ford, a professor in California. She wrote a confidential letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in July detailing the alleged assault, and decided to reveal her identity on Sunday after news of the letter leaked.
Flake told the Post he's "made it clear that I'm not comfortable moving ahead with the vote on Thursday if we have not heard her side of the story or explored this further. For me, we can't vote until we hear more." There are 21 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, with Republicans holding an 11-to-10 majority. A spokesman for the committee told the Post Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is trying to arrange follow-up calls with Kavanaugh and Ford ahead of the vote.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
A potential railway megamerger raises monopoly questions
The Explainer Union-Pacific and Norfolk Southern would create the country's largest railway operator
-
At least 12 dead in Thai-Cambodian clashes
Speed Read Both countries accused the other of firing first
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
-
President diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency'
Speed Read The vein disorder has given Trump swollen ankles and visible bruising on his hands
-
'Bawdy' Trump letter supercharges Epstein scandal
Speed Read The Wall Street Journal published details of Trump's alleged birthday letter to Epstein