Sen. Jeff Flake continued to look very much conflicted over the way Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation process has gone, on Friday, October 5, and as a result he’s left much up for interpretation so far as it regards his conviction on the matter. So much so that he came out of the day-long hearing sounding like he may be more proud of Sen. Lisa Murkowski for how she cast her vote than he was of himself for how he cast his own.
Just prior to driving off from the contentious proceedings, the news crews on hand managed to get Sen. Flake to slow his step in order to address his decision to side in favor of moving Kavanaugh past a procedural vote. But while he expressed confidence that he will be on the right side of history, come decision time on Saturday, Flake appeared equally willing to validate the stance that Sen. Murkowski took in casting the opposing vote.
“I admire her a lot. A lot. Everybody had to make their own decision, and I think the world of her,” Sen. Flake said of his fellow Republican lawmaker. He then proceeded to extend Democrat Joe Manchin the same bit of solidarity, telling MSNBC reporters, who inquired into his thoughts on the West Virginia senator going against his party with a “yes” vote, that he admires Manchin for committing to what had to amount to a tough decision, as well.
Heading into Thursday’s vote, Sen. Flake rounded out a group of four senators who remained noncommittal on what they would determine of Kavanaugh’s fate. Now that the votes are in, it was only Murkowski who voted to stop Kavanaugh from assuming the vacant Supreme Court seat. Manchin would conversely appease to his red state constituents in spite of where his fellow Democrats stood, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine saw to it that she favors to advance the beleaguered judge.
Unfortunately for Murkowski, it doesn’t appear that very many of her fellow members of the GOP or the right-wing media share the same sentiments as Flake does concerning her decision in representing a voice for alleged sexual assault victim Christine Blasey Ford and the dozens of survivors she personally met with less than 24 hours prior.
After the hearing, Sen. Murkowski would open up about her decision to vote Kavanaugh’s confirmation down by saying that while she does believe the judge to be a decent person, she can’t help but feel that “he’s not the right man for the court at this time.”
