Kavanaugh confirmation Graham on Kavanaugh confirmation snag: ‘Somebody has got to explain this to Trump’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Friday that someone will have to fill President Donald Trump in on why Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court could be delayed a week, a half-joking remark that nonetheless highlighted confusion around what will happen next in the Senate.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), whose vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation has been in question this week, said Friday that he would vote to advance the nominee out of the Judiciary Committee but wanted a weeklong delay before the full Senate votes so the FBI can investigate sexual assault allegations against the judge.


“Somebody has got to explain this to Trump,” Graham said to a group of reporters after the committee voted to send Kavanaugh's nomination to the full body. "I guess that will be my job."

Graham said he also was not sure how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would deal with Flake's request.

Democrats pressed Kavanaugh during a hearing on the allegations Thursday to endorse an FBI investigation into claims made publicly by three women, including Christine Blasey Ford, who says Kavanaugh assaulted her when the two were in high school.

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“Democrats will say, if we do what Jeff said, that would end the process dispute," Graham said. "I don't expect any of them to vote for the guy, but if we ask the FBI to look at what's in front of us, no later than a week, no longer than a week, they would say that would be a better process. That would be progress.”

Graham said Flake was "just trying his best to bring the country together and vote the best way he knows how.“

