GOP Senator's Daughter's Wedding Throws Wrench into Kavanaugh Confirmation Plans
Saturday will be a day of two dances — one in Montana where Sen. Steve Daines is going to see his daughter married and the other lived out in airports and fast-driving vehicles designed to get the Republican senator from Montana to Capitol Hill so he can vote for Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.
“I’ve got a wedding on Saturday. My goal this weekend is to walk my daughter down the aisle, and to see a new U.S. Supreme Court Justice put on the court,” Daines said Thursday night, according to Fox News.
Kavanaugh, who was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump in July, appeared to be heading for confirmation last month until a furor erupted over accusations of sexual assault from his high school days. The delays in the process meant that the wedding of Daines’s daughter became yet the latest issue to be navigated on the road of Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Daines said “there’s absolutely zero corroborating evidence to support” sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, based on his reading of the FBI report on the nominee.
As such, he is all in Kavanaugh’s corner. The only issue is getting there.
.@SteveDaines is a good friend and hunting/fishing buddy and as far as his vote this weekend is concerned he tells me he has it covered.
Coming from this man you can take that to the bank!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 5, 2018
Daines is promising not to have too many dances with the bride.
“I’d come back after the wedding,” he said, deflating what Breitbart noted were some reports suggesting he might miss the vote.
“It will probably be early morning,” Daines said, suggesting he wouldn’t get back until sometime Sunday. “We’re taking it a day at a time to see what happens.”
CNN estimated that the vote is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, which would be 3 p.m. in Montana. The Senate, replete with a host of rules and procedures, can hold the voting period open as long as it wants.
“Votes are held open all the time,” Daines said.
The Saturday vote was prefaced by a Friday vote to end the debate on the nomination and formally scheduled the Saturday vote. Daines was present for the 51 to 49 vote to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Just got off the phone with Judge Kavanaugh. Very proud to share that the great people of Montana are standing behind him and I look forward to casting my vote to confirm him. #KavanaughConfirmation pic.twitter.com/f266UKVuNp
— Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) September 28, 2018
Daines has told the GOP leadership that during the twists and turns of the Kavanaugh confirmation process, Saturday’s date is one thing he will not change.
“My daughter’s wedding has been planned for months,” Daines said.
“We’ve been very open and transparent on it and we want to work for everyone. I think we’ll get there, I really do.”
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