On 9/28/2018 8:10 PM, Keyser Soze wrote:
...Flake did...from CNN...

1. Flake voted for Kavanaugh to move out of the committee. But he also
made clear that he would not vote for Kavanaugh on the Senate floor
without an FBI investigation of the sexual assault allegation against
him -- an accusation that the nominee has vehemently denied.

2. In a vacuum, that doesn't mean much. If Republicans only lost Flake,
they would have 50 votes in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation when the
scheduled vote would happen on Tuesday. That would allow Vice President
Mike Pence to break the tie, and Kavanaugh would be confirmed.

3. But Flake -- as well as Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar --
suggested in the moments before the 11-10 vote that there were other
Republicans who felt the same as Flake. As in, they would not support
Kavanaugh's confirmation unless and until the FBI investigation happens.
Those senators are, presumably, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa
Murkowski of Alaska.

4. None of what Flake did was binding -- until the White House and
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell weighed in. McConnell formally
requested the White House to instruct the FBI to do supplemental
background check, which "would be limited to current credible
allegations against the nominee and must be completed no later than one
week from today."

The Senate Judiciary Committee announcement means that McConnell, as
expected, has bowed to the fact that he does not currently have the
votes. Presumably, Flake would not have a) made the one-week FBI
investigation request and then b) voted for Kavanaugh to move favorably
out of committee unless c) he knew that he had Murkowski and/or Collins
(or some other Republican) was with him. (Murkowski confirmed to
reporters after the session that she supports Flake's proposal.)


I am still chuckling over Lindsey Graham's comment to the reporters,
"somebody's going to have to go explain this to Trump".

You may not like his politics but he *is* funny sometimes.