ADVERTISEMENT But Democratic calls to delay Kavanaugh's hearing or link him with the political fallout from Cohen and Manafort appear to be falling flat with the group of moderate senators who will make or break the nomination.

"Obviously I'm inclined. I've met with him," Flake, a member of the Judiciary Committee, told The Hill. "He's certainly qualified, but we'll have hearings."

Democrats are powerless to prevent Kavanaugh's hearing from going forward without help from Republicans.

"That's what he gave me. That's the best that he could give me. ...He'll face that question again, I'm sure, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing," Durbin said, referring to questions about a Minnesota Law Review article where Kavanaugh appeared to argue against indicting a sitting president and warned that an ongoing criminal investigation would be a distraction.

But pressed if he thought Democrats' argument was getting through to swing-vote senators in both party, Durbin suggested maybe they needed to hear from home-state voters.

"Maybe a trip home will change their views. Maybe it will change ours," he said. "But I think it [the hearing] should be postponed at least until this documentation is produced."