Senate Insiders: Republicans Have The Votes To Confirm Kavanaugh

According to Senate insiders, Republicans have the votes to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, which is expected to take place early next week.

After the explosive hearing on Thursday, which featured a moving testimony by accuser Christine Blasey Ford and an impassioned defense by Kavanaugh, Senate Republicans scheduled the vote to move the Supreme Court nominee out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and set the procedural vote for the Senate. According to insiders, Republicans have the votes to confirm the embattled nominee.

“With the Senate Judiciary Committee holding a vote at 9:30 A.M. tomorrow, a Senate insider has told Townhall that Kavanaugh has the votes to make it out of committee and the votes to be confirmed on the floor for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court,” Towhnall’s Matt Vespa reports. “Sens. Flake (R-AZ), Collins (R-ME), Murkowski (R-AK), and Manchin (D-WV) are expected to vote in favor of Kavanaugh. All the Republicans are voting yes. Also, in the rumor mill, several Democrats may break ranks and back Kavanaugh. That’s the ball game, folks.”

The Atlantic’s Elaina Plott reported that a source close to Sen. Manchin told her, “Short of claims that definitively prove Dr. Ford’s allegations or a realization that Kavanaugh will gut the healthcare law, Manchin will side with the overwhelming number of people in WV who want Kavanaugh confirmed.”

Vespa also cites Politico’s Burgess Everett, who reported that “Donnelly, Manchin, Murkowski and Collins are all expected to vote the same way, per senators and aides,” but stressed that which way they’d vote is unclear.

After the hearing, Sens. Collins, Murkowksi, Manchin and Flake met to discuss the nomination, speaking for roughly 30 minutes, according to Fox News. Flake’s comments to Fox News suggested he was leaning toward a “yes” vote.

“It’s a tough one. She offered good testimony, and so did he,” he said. But then Flake stressed that Ford has no corroborating evidence for her claim. “If you’re making an allegation, you want there to be some corroboration. Where is the burden? It’s like impeachment. You don’t know,” he said. He also made clear that he was against drawing out the process any further with more investigations. “Where does this start, and where does it end? More time, more ludicrous allegations. What does that do to the accused?”

Kavanaugh has consistently and adamantly denied Ford’s claims and did so with conviction under oath Thursday. Mark Judge, the man Ford says was in the room at the time of the alleged assault, said in a sworn statement that it never happened. The other two potential witnesses Ford named, including a “lifelong friend,” have said they have no knowledge of the party or the alleged assault.

Related: Sarah Sanders Applauds Lindsey Graham For Epic Defense Of Kavanaugh