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Senate Republicans Agree to Flake's Demand, Trump Orders FBI Investigation

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Republican Senate leadership acceded to Arizona Senator Jeff Flake’s demand that the body request an FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee announced it “will request that the (Trump) administration instruct the FBI to conduct a supplemental FBI background investigation with respect to the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court.”

“The supplemental FBI background investigation would be limited to current credible allegations against the nominee and must be completed no later than one week from today,” the statement read.

“The agreement reached Friday will hand over to the White House a final decision on whether the FBI conducts an investigation, though (President Donald Trump) has signaled his willingness to go along with the GOP leadership,” CNBC reported.

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When asked on Friday about the Senate’s decision to delay a full vote on Kavanaugh, Trump told reporters at the White House that he trusted the lawmakers to do the right thing,

“I’m going to let the Senate handle that,” Trump said. “They’ll make their decisions, and they do a good job. Very professional.”

“I guess the vote was a positive vote, but there seems to be a delay. I’ll learn more about it,” he added, noting he had been in meetings with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera while the Judiciary Committee was holding its hearing.

Trump was asked what he thought of Kavanaugh sexual assault accuser Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony before the committee on Thursday.

Do you think the FBI should investigate the allegations?

“I thought her testimony was very compelling and she looks like a very fine woman to me,” he replied. “Certainly she was a very credible witness.”

The president added, “I thought that Brett’s testimony, likewise, was really something that I haven’t seen before, it was incredible. I think it was an incredible moment in the history or our country. I think it will work out very well for the country.”

Later on Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed on Twitter that Trump has ordered the FBI “to conduct a supplemental investigation.”

“Statement from President @realDonaldTrump: ‘I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file. As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.”


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The Judiciary Committee’s vote to recommend Kavanaugh for the nomination fell along party lines, with the 11 Republicans on the committee voting for Kavanaugh and 10 Democrats voting against him.

At Friday’s hearing, Flake said that based on conversations he had with Democratic senators, “I think it would be proper to delay the floor vote for up to, but not more than, one week in order to let the FBI do an investigation, limited in time and scope to the current allegations that are there.”

“I will vote to advance the bill to the floor with that understanding,” he added.

Floor votes are set by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but Flake holds the power of a vote the Republicans will almost surely need to put Kavanaugh over the top.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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