GOP Sen. Jeff Flake just threw a massive wrench in the GOP's Kavanaugh confirmation plan

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday voted 11-10 along party lines to recommend Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. But a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court is hardly assured, thanks to GOP Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.).

On Thursday, the committee heard testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the 1980s, and from Kavanaugh, who strongly denied the claim. The Friday vote was delayed roughly 20 minutes for last-minute dealmaking, with Flake calling for a maximum one-week delay on the full floor vote until the FBI can conduct an investigation of the allegations against Kavanaugh. "I will only be comfortable [voting yes on the floor if] the FBI has done more investigation than they have already," Flake said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is expected to bring Kavanaugh's nomination up for a final confirmation vote before the full Senate as early as Tuesday. McConnell will also decide whether to honor Flake's request and delay the vote in order to wait for a weeklong investigation, though President Trump has the final say in ordering an FBI probe. It remains unclear whether other swing vote senators like Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will support Kavanaugh's confirmation.

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