Trump, GOP on cusp of major victory as final Kavanaugh vote nears, protesters gather on Capitol Hill
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump and Senate Republicans appeared to be on the cusp of a major political victory Saturday, as Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh looked set to be narrowly confirmed by the Senate later in the day -- after a grueling and often ugly confirmation fight that has both gripped and divided the nation.
Statements by previously undecided Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in favor of Kavanaugh on Friday appeared to give the embattled nominee the votes in the chamber needed to be confirmed, where Republicans hold a slim majority.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she would vote no, but later said she will vote “present” in order to pair with Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who is a “yes” but will not be able to vote as he is attending his daughter’s wedding in Montana.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It appeared that Kavanaugh would likely be confirmed in a 50-48 vote Saturday afternoon, a day after the Senate voted to end debate 51-49.
Anti-Kavanaugh protests appeared to intensify Friday and Saturday with Manchin being dogged by protesters screaming "shame, shame, shame” at him as he announced his intention to vote for Kavanaugh on Friday -- likely the only Democrat to do so.
COLLINS, MANCHIN SAY 'AYE,' APPEARING TO CEMENT KAVANAUGH CONFIRMATION
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The protests also spilled over to the home of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Washington, D.C., with demonstrators holding a so-called “confirmation kegger.”
On Saturday, protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court, with activists chanting “Get up, get down, women we run this town” and “we are the majority, the majority dissents.”
Approximately 1,000 protesters marched to the Capitol steps chanting “November is coming” and “we believe survivors.” Soon, Capitol Hill police started arresting some protesters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kavanaugh’s nomination had been imperiled after a number of sexual assault allegations were made against him -- particularly a claim by Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a high school party in the 1980s.
ACTIVISTS TARGET SUSAN COLLINS AFTER SHE SEALS KAVANAUGH VOTE, CALL FOR HARASSMENT
Both Ford and Kavanaugh testified at a hearing last week, with the saga gripping the nation and sending protesters flooding to Congress. Democrats furiously opposed Kavanaugh’s nomination, at first due to his judicial record as a conservative and concerns he would overturn Roe v Wade.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But in recent weeks they cited not only the assault claims, but also concerns that Kavanaugh had lied about his drinking and references in his high school yearbook in his testimony. A number of senators also objected to Kavanaugh’s aggressive criticism of their handling of the assault claims against him, where he had been visibly angry at the claims, that included being present at gang rapes.
“Beyond the issue of credibility, Judge Kavanaugh presented to the Senate the bitterest partisan testimony I have ever heard from a candidate seeking the Senate’s approval. Whether they be for the bench or the executive branch,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, said Friday.
Both sides recognized that the scenes had been ugly, but blamed one another for the spectacle. In her speech, Collins said the confirmation had resembled a “caricature of a gutter-level political campaign.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the face of calls by Democrats and left-wing activists that the allegations were enough to either withdraw or delay the nomination altogether, Republicans had pushed back.
After Kavanaugh’s fierce defense of himself at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Republicans rallied to his side, pointing to the lack of corroboration in the accusations and accusing Democrats of overturning the principle of "innocent until proven guilty." The most prominent was Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who issued his own broadside against Democrats, furiously accusing them of running the “most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics.”
“Boy y’all want power, God I hope you never get it, I hope the American people can see through this sham,” he yelled.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The White House also rallied to Kavanaugh’s side, refusing to give any indication it was wavering on his nomination and Trump issuing both defenses of Kavanaugh, as well as attacks on Ford -- who he mocked for an alleged lack of detail in her testimony.
"How did you get home? 'I don't remember,'" Trump said, imitating a back-and-forth with Ford. "How did you get there? 'I don't remember,' Where is the place? 'I don't remember,' How many years ago was it? 'I don't know. I don't know.' "What neighborhood was it in? I don't know. Where's the house? I don't know. Upstairs, downstairs -- where was it? I don't know -- but I had one beer. That's the only thing I remember.'"
Republicans conceded to a demand for a limited FBI investigation by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., last week. Democrats had been demanding such an investigation into the assault claims, but criticized this one as not being thorough enough even before it had finished earlier this week. On the Senate floor Saturday, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said the investigation was not comprehensive, and was "a sham, a fig lead for the Republicans to hide behind."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Deborah Ramirez, who accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her at a college party, accused the Senate Saturday of “looking the other way” when it comes to her accusation.
“Only this time instead of drunk college kids, it is US Senators who are deliberately ignoring his behavior. This is how victims are isolated and silenced,” she said in a statement.
But even amid the protests and furious cries from Democrats, Republicans felt that they had ultimately won the fight for Kavanaugh’s confirmation, and gained momentum in the race for the midterms -- feeling that Democrats had overreached and fired up the Republican base in the process.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said on Fox News’ “Cavuto Live” that she believed that Republicans will now pick up seats in the Senate.
“Yes absolutely, and I do believe that we will pick up seats in the United States Senate. We will be stronger through this exercise and I think we can gain momentum in the House.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., meanwhile, told The Washington Post that the Democratic and left-wing opposition was a "great political gift for us."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I want to thank the mob, because they’ve done the one thing we were having trouble doing, which was energizing our base,” he said.
Fox News’ Lauren Lee, Chad Pergram, Lukas Mikelionis and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.