Developing: Collins calls FBI probe "very thorough"; Flake: "No additional corroborating information"; Update: Flake again: Was a yes before and "no new credible corroboration" now

Forget for a moment what Senate Democrats or even the media think about the FBI’s report on Brett Kavanaugh. The supplemental background check had three customers, and three only: Jeff Flake, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins, who at one time appeared to be the toughest of the undecideds on Kavanaugh. While Democrats and invested media outlets are gnashing their teeth over its scope, Collins says that it looks pretty comprehensive, at least at first impressions:

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Flake gave an even more specific take, saying that the report turned up no additional “corroborating information” on the allegations. He also plans to read the full report to get a sense of the interviews, but that seems unlikely to deviate from the FBI summary:

At least two out of the three customers appear satisfied with the report, which gives McConnell at least 50 Republican votes for Kavanaugh’s confirmation. CNN’s Manu Raju calls it for Kavanaugh:

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Interestingly, so does Senate Democrat Chris Coons. He predicted earlier that Kavanaugh will win confirmation, but “narrowly”:

We’ll have more as this develops. No one has yet heard from Murkowski, who has been very reticent to state her mind on the upcoming vote even with an FBI report. But if Collins is on board, it seems very likely that Murkowski will come along, too. If Republicans get to 51, expect to see Joe Manchin and one or two other red-state Democrats climb on board the bandwagon. It might go 54-46 on Saturday.

Update: You don’t need a strong light to read between these lines.

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Update: More of a side note, since Lee was assumed to be an aye on Kavanaugh already, but still worth noting:

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Ed Morrissey 12:40 PM | November 21, 2024
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