Kavanaugh Advances, but a New Snag Emerges

On to the full Senate, eventually. The Judiciary Committee on Friday voted to advance Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, but not without some last-minute drama and confusion. The panel voted along party lines, 11-10, but just before the roll call, Republican Jeff Flake asked for a one-week delay in the full Senate vote so an FBI investigation could take place, reports the Hill. Later in the afternoon, Republican leaders agreed to his request, reports the AP. Related coverage:

• Crucial supporter: Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is not on the judiciary panel, but she publicly backed the call for an FBI investigation after the panel's vote. It was significant because Republicans have only a 51-49 edge in the Senate; if she and Flake were to withhold their support, procedural votes on Kavanaugh likely wouldn't advance, notes the Washington Post.
• President Trump: Speaking to reporters after the vote, Trump said he would go along with whatever Senate leaders think best. He also called Christine Blasey Ford a "very fine woman" and a "very credible witness," but stood by Kavanaugh and his "incredible" testimony, reports the Wall Street Journal. Trump said he never considered withdrawing Kavanaugh's name.

• Confusion: When the panel vote took place, top Democrat Dianne Feinstein voiced confusion about what they were actually voting on—whether it was merely to advance Kavanaugh or to advance him with the stipulation of an investigation. (It was the former.) An open mic picked up chairman Charles Grassley's explanation to her afterward, per CBS Los Angeles. "This is all a gentlemen’s and women’s agreement," he said.
• The numbers: Whenever the vote happens in the full Senate, Kavanaugh's prospects were no sure thing. Prior to Friday's committee vote, Politico reported that his fate was in the hands of two moderate Republicans (Susan Collins and Murkowski) and two moderate Democrats (Joe Manchin and Heidi Heitkamp). But the investigation adds a new wrinkle because its results could change the mind of senators such as Flake.
• The elevator: Flake's request for a delay came after two women confronted him in an elevator to criticize his announced support of Kavanaugh. "I wanted him to feel my rage," one of the women, Ana Maria Archila, told the New York Times afterward. The story has more details about the encounter and the other woman, Maria Gallagher.
• Ronan Farrow: The New Yorker reporter is out with a new scoop, this one alleging that a top Republican staffer worked to stymie the testimony of Kavanaugh accuser Deborah Ramirez. Read it in full here.

(More Brett Kavanaugh stories.)