The One-Week FBI Investigation
What the delayed vote means for the future of our country.
The Senate Judiciary Committee met less than an hour ago to vote whether or not Judge Kavanaugh was worthy for the position of Supreme Court Justice of the United States, despite the numerous sexual assault allegations surfacing. After hours of emotional testimonies from both Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, one of his accusers, the committee reached an 11–10 vote in favor of Kavanaugh.
As you may know, these hearings have an incredible importance in our nation’s democracy, as Supreme Court justices are tenured for life, and Kavanaugh’s conservative views on abortion may result in the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
On the surface, it appears to be a win for the GOP. Trump’s nominee received the votes he needed to pull past the allegations and face the full Senate for a full vote. There is one technicality, however. While riding the elevator before voting, Senator Jeff Flake (R., Arizona) was confronted by two women, both of whom were sexual assault survivors. Later, he voted in favor of Kavanaugh, but under one condition — a one-week FBI investigation must be conducted to receive a yes-vote on the senate floor.
What does this mean?
Although Flake doesn’t have the power to decide when the vote occurs, the Republicans may need every vote they can get to proceed with Kavanaugh’s nomination. Therefore, Flake is in a unique position of leverage — The GOP either delays the vote and conducts an investigation, or they risk losing a valuable vote and potentially the entire nomination.
The Investigation
Although I do not know much about the FBI’s inner workings, it is hard to imagine they can accomplish much with a deadline of only one week. In my opinion, Senator Flake’s decision to delay the vote was a last-ditch effort to save face, knowing full well that a one-week investigation would have very little effect on the current situation. Regardless, this additional week could make or break Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Here is what I expect to see throughout the next week:
- Further debate on Kavanaugh’s nomination, including comments from the Trump Administration and “The Resistance.”
- Protests, particularly organized by the #MeToo movement.
- Presentation of new facts, perhaps from Kavanaugh’s other accusers.
Based on everything I know about the Trump administration, however, is that if you expect something to happen, it probably won’t. The outcome is still highly unpredictable, and quite frankly it could lean toward either side based on what happens throughout the week. Even if the suggestion for an investigation was a thinly-veiled attempt to save face I do believe it is beneficial to delay the vote, for lifelong appointments to one of the most influential positions in the US Government should not be rushed. Only time will tell.
