Don’t bet on the ‘no matter what’…..
There won’t be a vote if the Republicans don’t have the vote to confirm….
The GOP is staking Kavanaugh’s prospects to his hearing later this week, when he and Christine Blasey Ford will testify publicly about her allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school more than 30 years ago. It’s a shift that puts some of the onus on Kavanaugh to convince a growing number of wary senators whether his word is more credible than hers in the battle over the high court seat.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is warning his colleagues publicly and privately that his plan is to hold a floor vote on Kavanaugh no matter what happens in the Judiciary Committee, possibly as soon as early next week. Though Kavanaugh currently lacks the votes to be confirmed, the GOP leader is signaling that he will hold the vote anyway to force all 100 senators to go on record and put maximum pressure on red state Democrats that the GOP is hoping to defeat this fall, Republican senators said.
Whether that vote will be successful remains in doubt, the senators said.
“Once we get a chance to have a hearing, then we’ll figure out where we go from there. I think our members are taking this very seriously,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 Republican. “Most of our members are going to wait ‘til Thursday. … Thursday is kind of the key day in this.”
“Let’s wait and see what happens on Thursday. I am very supportive of Judge Kavanaugh, but I want to hear her testimony,” added Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.)…..