www mm“ iii impartial to be that politically, it was nakedly impartial to be that politically, it was na kedly political. impartial to be that politically, it was nakedly political. what we saw yesterday was a coordinated effort to change the conversation away from the brave, courageous survivor of sexual assault because her story was so sexual assault because her story was so intensely, and denier barely credible, to a partisan attack. —— and denier barely credible. on the other side, republican senator lindsay graham made it clear that he will be backing judge kavanaugh's nomination. i have never heard a more compelling defence of one‘s honour and integrity. then i did for brett kavanaugh. he looked me in the eye and he was mad and he should have been mad. he could tell you where he was at and what he was doing during high school in a way thatjust blew me away. brett kavanaugh and women. if you are a gang rapists when you

area if you are a gang rapists when you are a sophomore and a junior in high school, you do not let it go. every woman who actually knows brett kavanaugh woman who actually knows brett kava naugh has woman who actually knows brett kavanaugh has come forward to say he is not that kind of guy. he has been at the highest level of public service under tremendous scrutiny six fbi investigations and we missed the sophomore, junior, gang rapist. we did not rape is —— we did not miss it. it is a bunch of garbage. we can now bring you live pictures of where the vote is due to take place anytime now. the tension is building. it is a hugely significant vote for both democrats and republicans. we can to our correspondent who is at capitol hill for us. let's go live to capitol hill where the vote is due to take place — and we can speak to our washington correspondent — gary o'donoghue this is a vote for this" —— the

supreme court. it touches every part of american life. it has a say on the interpretation of the constitution and sets precedents. it could mean anything from abortion law as we have talked about during this confirmation progress to gun rights, gay marriage, all sorts of things that will affect every american and this seat on the court isa american and this seat on the court is a seed for life. and brett kavanaugh is 53 years old. he is socially conservative. details of the court is already heading towards the court is already heading towards the right, and this would really solidified that tilt to the right. that is why democrats and those on the left are so upset about this. that is what republicans and their supporters are so keen on getting this nomination through. that is what is at stake. and that is why in a sense, it emphasises and embolden

the republicans to push this as much as possible even at the risk of appearing that they are out of step with the time we're in and the post has said metoo movement. there were a number of protesters who entered the building. i think some were arrested. that just the building. i think some were arrested. thatjust gives us an idea of how emotive this issue really is. there were some extraordinary scenes. one particularly this morning. senatorjeff flake from arizona, the republican who was wavering on that committee, he was confronted in an elevator here. by two women. they effectively accused him of ignoring the victims of sexual assault. weber rated him, they kept their foot in the door of they kept their foot in the door of the elevator and weber rated him —— paraded him. . it was a very uncomfortable moment for him. he

said he plans to vote for the nominee. he has been out of the committee room 226. in discussions with one of his colleagues and friends, senator koonce. we do not know what they've been talking about. there has been a lot of pressure on him. —— senator chris goons. if he sticks with his decision, it looks like it would be inii-io decision, it looks like it would be inii—io infavourof decision, it looks like it would be in 11—10 in favour of brett kavanaugh. in 11—10 in favour of brett kava naugh. that is in 11—10 in favour of brett kavanaugh. that is of course if the democrats who walked out of the room to actually bother to come back to vote. we still don't know what the other two republicans in the wider set it will do. susan collins. the democratjoe mansion, which way will he vote with my key is in a very tough race in west virginia this autumn. i'm sure we will have more from you later. thank you for now. yesterday was a hugely tense day.

let's have a look back at today's earrings. ona day on a day of bitter division of the americans were united on one thing, they were gripped watching this. brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling. this is what terrified me the most.|j stop me from yelling. this is what terrified me the most. i have never done this, to her or to anyone. what is the strongest memory you have? laughter between the two. and they were having fun at my expense. you are saying there has never been a case where you drink so much that you did not remember what happened the night before part of what happened? are you asking about blackout? i don't know, have you? could you answer the question,

judge? could you answer the question, judge? yes, and i'm curious if you have. i have no drinking problem. nor do i. have. i have no drinking problem. nordo i. a have. i have no drinking problem. nor do i. a call for the friend of judge kavanaugh, the only eyewitness to the attack being forced to give evidence. it is our constitutional duty to do everything we can to uncover the truth. we cannot in good conscience vote without hearing at least for markjudge. it was voted down on party lines, but the passion stirred has not dissipated. some democrat members walked out. why not wait? a republican senator who had been wavering had been ambushed in a list. you are telling me that my assault does not matter, that what happened to me does not matter and that you are going to let people who do these things into power. white house staff have been streaming every sin you to get brett kavanaugh onto the supreme court and though

their candidate may be bloody, bruised and with undoubted damage to his reputation and the democrats would say would still many questions to answer, it looks as though they're going to get their man, finally, over the line. he felt like judge kavanaugh. his testimony was powerful, it was riveting. and it was honest. thejudiciary committee will vote shortly assuming they vote for brett kavanaugh, his nomination will go before the full senate, ending the formal and deeply ugly process. we are expecting that senate judiciary committee to vote on whether or not they believe brett kavanaugh should be the next us supreme courtjustice at any time now. we can bring you live pictures of that committee room, committee room 226. as you can see, there are a number of seats which are vacant. that is because democrats, once again, walked out of the broom. it leaves many questions begging. does

that mean they will abstain from this vote? what does that mean for the legitimacy of that vote? to discuss that, i'm joined by our north american reporter. it is quite a stark image. to see no democrats there. they have all walked out. exactly, they did this during some of the confirmation hearings during donald trump's nominations. to slow the probe treatment process down. seems like a similar thing. several of them did not bother to vote on the agreement to have a vote at 1:30pm. theyjust the agreement to have a vote at 1:30pm. they just stayed the agreement to have a vote at 1:30pm. theyjust stayed silent and then they got up and walked out of then they got up and walked out of the broom. they have a procedural objection to this. they want to be able to call witnesses. they want an fbi investigation. they are objecting to the rest of the vote.

the republicans want to get this done, they want to get him onto the court next week when they start the fall session. they want this taken ca re before fall session. they want this taken care before the midterms. they do not want this to drag on until after the elections where the democrats could conceivably take control of the senate. we're seeing now that the senate. we're seeing now that the majority rules. whoever has the votes can do what they want. and the republicans have the votes right now, they think they do. they want get this done. we talk about bitter divisions in washington. but this is that committee on the whole that works together. it is known as a collegial body. they look at the house of the representatives, the lower house, where everyone makes big speeches and there is a lot of rowd i ness, big speeches and there is a lot of rowdiness, a pure partisan majority carries the day. that has changed a lot. you are seeing old senate traditions, deferential treatment, better speeches that are a bit milder, that seems to be going away. there is partisan rancour that is in

the country has reached the senate. and the supreme court. there was once a time when that was above partisanship. we will have more from you later. thank you for now. if you arejust you later. thank you for now. if you are just joining you later. thank you for now. if you arejustjoining us, you later. thank you for now. if you are just joining us, and you later. thank you for now. if you arejustjoining us, and you are looking at live pictures of the senatejudiciary looking at live pictures of the senate judiciary committee in washington which is due to vote whether or not brett kavanaugh should become the next us supreme court justice. as we should become the next us supreme courtjustice. as we showed you on those pictures, the democrats have left the room. we can speak to strategist and former adviser to george w bush, ron christie who was with us following the developments yesterday. he can nowjoin us on the phone. ron, it is good to have you with us. that vote is due to happen any moment now. many democrats say it should not be happening as soon as it is. what do you make of their objections? i think the senate democrats had every opportunity to flush out the allegations put

forward by doctor blasey ford. senator feinstein, the ranking member sat on this letter of allegations for several weeks and did nothing with it. there were 31 hours of testimony offered byjudge kavanaugh and the democrats elected not to speak to him about this. i think it is a little bit too much a little bit too late for the democrats to now say they are concerned that every investigatory angle have not been taken when they are the ones who were given these allegations months ago.|j are the ones who were given these allegations months ago. i think the democrats would say that more accusers have come forward. women who have not had the chance by christine blasey ford to present their case before the senate committee. i hear that and i think that every serious allegation should be considered and should be analysed. i would note that the new york times as it relates to the second allegation looked at the alleged incident that had taken

place and decided they cannot corroborate the allegations after they interviewed several dozen individuals who said they had no recollection of this alleged incident taking place. what i think it's more important is that we're at a pivotal point in american politics. this is notjust republicans voting for one side and democrats for the other. i really fear that we have crossed a line of decency and decorum that is going to be very hard for politicians on either side to walk back from. when i look at this nomination, it is not just merely about brett kavanaugh, it is about who are we as americans and how we conduct business in the country and i think we may have gone a step too far. if he is indeed confirmed as the next us supreme justice, how will this affect the way he handles things on the court and the way he is viewed in a very important role? as one who has known

judge kavanaugh for 17 years, he is a very thoughtful jurist. judge kavanaugh for 17 years, he is a very thoughtfuljurist. he is a man of considerable intellect. so, if he is confirmed early next week, i have every faith and confidence that he will take his job seriously. he will do the work that is incumbent upon him for that awesome responsibilities to be one of the nine justices responsibilities to be one of the ninejustices on the responsibilities to be one of the nine justices on the supreme court, but what will be telling an interesting as the supreme court sets down on monday, the first session on the first monday of october, which is october one, is from an emotional standpoint, how will he be? how will he stand up if he is confirmed to the highest court in the land in the united states? thank you very much forjoining us. asi thank you very much forjoining us. as i say, we will bring you the vote as it happens. it could be happening anytime soon. i was at the senate earlier today and there were many

protests there. including one directed at republican senatorjeff fla ke directed at republican senatorjeff flake who was confronted by a survivor of sexual assault after he announced that after much indecision, he would be voting for brett kavanaugh. don't pull away for me. look at me and tell me that it does not matter what happened to me that you will let people like i'd go into the highest court of the land and who could tell everyone what they will do to their bodies. emotional scenes there at the senate earlier. of course senator flake has been one of president's harshest critics in the republican parties. all to disk test this, i'm joined by oui’ all to disk test this, i'm joined by our north american editorjohn. john, another day of drama at the senate. yes, we do not quite know what is going on at the moment because the vote was due to have taken place at 1:30pm eastern time, it is now 15 minutes after that. if

they had had the votes, the votes would have taken place. wejust played that clip ofjeff flake being confronted in the lift. is it possible thatjeff confronted in the lift. is it possible that jeff flake confronted in the lift. is it possible thatjeff flake is reconsidering again? i don't see how he can walk back from having said that he will vote for brett kavanaugh, but that he will vote for brett kava naugh, but maybe that he will vote for brett kavanaugh, but maybe he has spoken to democrats and he is friends with senator chris goons from delaware on the committee and they had a private get together, maybe he is saying, i will vote for brett kavanaugh, but i need to see a further investigation from the fbi. i'm speculating. i do not know that this is true. something odd is going on, people have been walking out. the vote is not ready to take place. something is going on. i think men warning we thought the drama was over. that they had the votes that they needed. —— chris goons. maybe that has enter into to send

out now because we maybe that has enter into to send out now because we do not have that vote. you think that the committee does not have the votes. there is obviously been a lot of pressure from the democrat side even the american bar association for this vote to be delayed. do you think this could be a distinct possibility? being blunt about the politics of this, i am not sure it will make much difference what the american bar association says or the democrats. if you are in politics and you are in the engine room, what you are doing is counting the votes. have i got the numbers to put this onto the floor and get it past? if i have, i will have the vote, if i have, i will have the vote, if i have not, i think again. the fact that there is this delay taking place suggest that there is something going on. what it is, i don't know. i am not privy to the private conversations that are taking place. there is clearly something happening there i'm being told thatjeff something happening there i'm being told that jeff flake

something happening there i'm being told thatjeff flake has come back into the committee room. so maybe what ever doubt there was we're going to find out what going to happen. at the moment you said he entered the room, he has nowjust left. we a re entered the room, he has nowjust left. we are none the wiser on that front. let's bring in president trump to this discussion because of course, he is the one who nominated brett kavanaugh. at one point he said there should be of fair process and that doctor blasey ford should be heard and then he tweeted yesterday. yes, president trump was clearly giving himself a bit of wiggle room when he was up at the un general assembly saying that i'm going to have to listen and i could be convinced. i think after the very pugnacious performance, aggressive performance by brett kavanaugh yesterday, donald trump came out and said this is my man and this is what i wanted to see. i think he was playing to that audience in that way, brett kavanaugh. donald trump needed convincing that he was right to stick with him. and i think that

donald trump's intervention was significant and i think that the white house this morning were thinking it looks like we have got everything in place we need to get him across the line because it has been a bloodying and bruising process very damaging for brett kavanaugh. he said it ruined his reputation and that of his family in terms of what he has been through over the past two or three weeks. we are waiting to see. donald trump is not there with being the vote at the moment on capitol hill. it is being left to the committee chairmen to be doing that and probably the senate majority leader as well to try to get everybody into line. i cannot help thinking that if the votes were there, if he had everything he needed to take the vote and that there would be a republican majority approving brett kavanaugh, the vote would have happened by now. we both covered the 2016 election, to those who don't follow the money shot of politics why does this vote matter so politics why does this vote matter so much? i'm sure a lot of people

around the world watched what happened yesterday and went all this about a seat on the supreme court? but, the supreme court decides all the most important things in american public life. so, if you are pro abortion or anti—abortion pro—gun control auntie and control 93v pro—gun control auntie and control gay marriage etc the way the supreme court is made up is absolutely vital. and of course, it is the appointment of brett kavanaugh goes through, he's 53, he could be on the court for 30, 35 years if you lives a long life. and that means there could be a conservative majority. for decades to come. politicians come and go, supreme courtjustices are for life. 0k thank you very much for now. looking back at the committee room, chuck grassley, the chair, the republican chair has

gaveled which has called the session backin gaveled which has called the session back in and we can bring you some of that now. we have just seen senator ted cruz enter the room as well. not sure if any democrats have reentered the room at the moment. remember this vote was meant to have happened at 1:30pm today. it is now 1:50pm local time. looking at the picture, the democratic seats are still vacant. it does not look like there is any sign ofa it does not look like there is any sign of a vote happening. we are bracing ourselves for the chair of the committee to speak. arizona senatorjeff flake the committee to speak. arizona senator jeff flake has just the committee to speak. arizona senatorjeff flake has just entered the room. now of course he was a saturday who yesterday said he was making his mike... normally we would

start the vote right now, but at the point of personal privilege i will call on senator flake. thank you, i have been speaking to a number of people on the other side. we have had conversations ongoing for a while with regard to making sure that we do due diligence here. and 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 continue... to do an investigation limited in time and scope to the current allegations that are there. and limited to no more than one week. i will vote to advance the bill to the floor with that understanding. and i have spoken to a few other members on my

side of the aisle who may be supportive as well. that is my position. i think that we ought to do what we can to make sure that we do what we can to make sure that we do all due diligence with the nomination this important. i want to say that this committee has acted properly. and the chairman has bent over backwards to do investigations from this committee and to delay this vote in this committee for a week so that doctor ford could be heard. and she was yesterday. with that agreement, i will vote to advance the bill to the floor. just one second, can diane speak with mac could we have a description? we are voting on the motion to report the nomination to the floor. to call the roll. whoa, whoa. that is not my

understanding of what mr chairman just explained. —— the senator explained. my understanding and if the democrats could speak to it if chris or you would accept and endorse a one—week fbi investigation limited in time and scope. we will vote and then if there is any sort of discussion, we will go through that after the vote. call the roll. i. aye. aye. aye. aye. aye. on the nominee no. on the nominee no. no. no. on the nominee no. no. no. no.

kamala harris no. mr chairman the votes are all levin yeas, ten days. may i be recognise? ijust want to thank my friend senator flake for giving us the time today to have a conversation. i'm number of my colleagues have asked for a one—week delay in order that there might be in fbi investigation of what allegations are currently before this committee. i respect senator flake's view that in his opinion it was best to respect you are having given doctor ford the time to be heard yesterday and advance the nominee to the floor. but it is my hope that we could work together on a bipartisan basis to diligently

pursue an fbi investigation within the next week, not for the purpose of delay, but for the purpose of investigating further either allegations made by doctor ford or others with a goal towards demonstrating a bipartisan commitment to diligently investigating these allegations. thank you. senator feinstein.|j would support that motion. i think we need that motion. in fact i sort of senator flake. i thought it included a one—week investigation. i would like to support the motion for that investigation. we will take turns here. senator. i love this committee, but we are not the majority leader. senator flake has made clear what it would take him to become a bona fide no passage vote. but it does not matter what we say here. it will be up to senator schumer and senator mcconnell. and i

thinkjeff has made himself very clear. senator leahy. iwant thinkjeff has made himself very clear. senator leahy. i want to make sure because this is sort of unprecedented. i agree with the senator from arizona that we should have this further investigation. so my understanding is during the week that that is taking place, there will be no action on the floor of the united states senate. on this nomination. is that correct?|j cannot nomination. is that correct?” cannot say that... i cannot make that commitment for the leadership. ican that commitment for the leadership. i can only say that i would only be comfortable moving forward on the floor, i will move it out of committee, but i will only be comfortable moving on the floor until the fbi has done more investigation than they have already. it might not take them a

week. i understand that some of these witnesses may not want to discuss anything further, but i think we owe them due diligence. just a minute. all i have said to senator flake is that i would advocate for the position he took, but i do not control that. senator. mrchairman. but i do not control that. senator. mr chairman. there but i do not control that. senator. mrchairman. there are but i do not control that. senator. mr chairman. there are other senators as well who may be interested in this negotiation on the republican side. and there is not really a set agreement here. all of us are ready said we are voting i'io. of us are ready said we are voting no. it is simply senator flake working with all of us to save for the good of the senate and the court, the american people deserve to have the facts followed up on. and i really appreciate his willingness to do that. and that is what this is about. this is simply about, and by the way, if senator

mcconnell wants to go forward in light of that and we still have several senators who have not said how they are voting on this nominee, i think this is very important what just happened right now. so it does not have to have an agreement, it is one senator who is standing up. mr chairman, ijust one senator who is standing up. mr chairman, i just want one senator who is standing up. mr chairman, ijust want to express my... there is some difference of opinion as to what an fbi investigation would consist of. some of us think it has been concluded and supplemented by this committee's investigations and others disagree. i respect the fact that senator flake gave doctor ford desperate the chairman has given doctor ford the opportunity to be here and also making this go forward. certainly jeff flake maintained his vote to

say yes or no and maintains leverage that way. i appreciate his support for a full and that way. i appreciate his support fora fulland fair that way. i appreciate his support for a full and fair hearing for doctor ford and judge kavanaugh as well as his willingness to allow this to go forward subject to his request. mr chairman. senator feinstein. if i threw the chair, could ask a question of senator flake. dish or amendment of include continuing the investigation during this. of time? there is no amendment. i'm simply stating the discussion that we had between us all is that and i think we had some agreement that the democrats who have been, ithink, agreement that the democrats who have been, i think, justifiably uncomfortable moving ahead could publicly in an effort to bring this country together say that we would

feel better, i am not expecting for them to vote yes, but not to complain that an fbi investigation has not occurred. you are watching continued live coverage of the senate judiciary committee, a vote hasjust coverage of the senate judiciary committee, a vote has just been passed to forward the nomination of judge kavanaugh, but confusion at the moment, her was a motion put forward by the republican senator jeff fla ke forward by the republican senator jeff flake for a pause in the final vote to allow a possible fbi investigation of the allegations which have been put in front of the senate committee, it is this which has been discussed at the moment.” would encourage the democrats who we talked to her to endorse that kind of thing, that we can then move on. because of the two our rule,