GOP Sen. Jeff Flake: Judiciary Committee Must Hear From Kavanaugh Accuser Before Voting

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) said on Sunday that the Senate Judiciary Committee should pause its consideration of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh until the committee hears more from the woman who has accused him of sexual assault. “For me, we can’t vote until we hear more,” Flake, who sits on the judiciary committee, told The Washington Post. Earlier Sunday, Christine Blasey Ford went public with her allegation against Kavanaugh, which dated back to their time in high school. Ford alleges that Kavanaugh pinned her down and groped her, then covered her mouth when she tried to scream. Kavanaugh has flatly denied the allegation. The committee is planning to press forward with a vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination on Thursday. But a committee spokesman told the Post that Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) “is actively working to set up such follow-up calls with Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford ahead of Thursday’s scheduled vote.”