Confusion in Committee as Flake Changes Course

Before the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Brett Kavanaugh's name to the full Senate for a vote, Sen. Jeff Flake said he thinks it would be proper to delay the floor vote for up to a week to let the FBI continue its investigation for no more than a week.

Earlier in the day, Flake had announced without stipulateions that he would vote for Kavanaugh. He change of heart came after a flurry of last-minute negotiations.

After Flake's comments, Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, put the decision to send Kavanaugh's nomination to the Senate, but there was some confusion among Democrats on the committee what they were voting for.

As it turned out they were voting on the nomination, they all cast votes against advancing Kavanaugh.

"I have been speaking with a number of people on the other side," Flake, of Arizona, told the committee. "We had conversations ongoing for a while with regard to making sure that we do due diligence here, and I think it would be proper to delay the floor vote for up to, but not more than one week, in order to let the FBI continue to do an investigation."

The probe would be limited in time and scope to the current allegations, said Flake, who already said earlier Friday that he'd vote to advance the nomination.

"I think that we ought to do what we can to make sure that we do all due diligence with a nomination this important," said Flake."I want to say that this committee has acted properly, and the chairman has bent over backward to do investigations from this committee and to delay this vote."

However, it was noted that even with the recommendation to hold off on the vote, there is no guarantee that a delay would happen, as that would be up to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Chuck Schumer.

"There are other senators as well who may be interested in this negotiation on the Republican side, and there's not really a set agreement here," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, said. "All of us had already said we were voting no. It is simply Sen. Flake working with all of us to say for the good of the Senate and the good of the court, the American people deserve to have the facts followed up on. And I really appreciate his willingness to do that."

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