In a twist so on-the-nose that no self-respecting fiction author would have written it with a straight face, the US Senate and Supreme Court find themselves at the mercy of a single political hack named Flake.
The latest curve ball in a harrowing committee process that has seen Judge Brett Kavanaugh subjected to an ideologically motivated witch hunt fueled by baseless accusations meant only to stall his confirmation to SCOTUS, Republican Senator Jeff Flake has decided to flip his constituents the bird on his way to retirement.
Following a virtuoso performance by Kavanaugh at yesterday’s Judiciary Committee hearings wherein the Judge cleared his name in the face of a concerted political hatchet job, Republicans seemed to have the necessary votes to confirm him in committee and on the Senate floor. But no sooner did Kavanaugh indeed clear the committee than Flake declared his floor vote would be conditional on a week-long FBI investigation of the BS claims against Kavanaugh.
For context, multiple current and former prosecutors, including the outside expert brought in to question Coach K and his accuser, have deemed the allegations against him so flimsy that not even a search warrant, let alone formal charges, could be obtained against him. The alleged misconduct would also have been a misdemeanor well past the statute of limitations, meaning that a Presidential order is required to open an FBI investigation. Add in the fact that making a determination about SCOTUS candidates’ backgrounds is the Judiciary Committee’s job, not the FBI’s.
That alone should tell you what Flake’s gambit really is: A cynical, crass political move meant to provide a fig leaf should he decide to vote no. Two other cowardly Republican Senators, Collins and Murkowski, are also taking cover behind Flake’s stall tactic, subjecting the Senate and SCOTUS to a political shakedown.
Stay tuned.