Posted on 10/05/2018 5:38:59 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Friday evening that she opposed Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, becoming the only Republican senator to come out against President Trump's nominee.
"I will be a no tomorrow," Murkowski said in a speech on the Senate floor after describing how she had come to lean against voting to confirm Trump's second nominee to the high court in a final vote on Saturday.
But Murkowski said that in the final tally she would ask that her vote be recorded as "present," saying she was doing it as a courtesy to Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who is slated to attend his daughter's wedding back home on Saturday.
"I do this because a friend, a colleague of ours is in Montana this evening and ... he's going to be walking his daughter down the aisle and he won't be present to vote," Murkowski said. "I have extended this as a courtesy to my friend. It will not change the outcome of the vote."
Murkowski, who voted against ending debate on Kavanaugh earlier in the day Friday, said during her speech on the Senate floor that she "was leaning toward supporting Judge Kavanaugh in his nomination."
"But we know that in our role of advice and consent, it is not just the record itself. There is more that is attached to it," she added, mentioning "matters of temperament" and "demeanor."
Murkowski announced her decision hours after it became clear that Kavanaugh had enough votes to be confirmed.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced during her own speech on the Senate floor earlier Friday that she would back his nomination ahead of a final vote set for Saturday afternoon.
Collins's support gave Republicans the necessary 50 votes to allow Vice President Pence to cast a tie-breaking vote if necessary. Collins was soon joined by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who said he would vote for Kavanaugh, giving him the support of 51 senators.
Murkowski said Friday night that she agreed with many of Collins's comments defending Kavanaugh, saying she didn't think he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade or represented a threat to protections for people with preexisting conditions.
But she indicated that her confidence in his nomination was not high enough to bring herself to voting for him, given controversy swirling around allegations of sexual assault leveled against the nominee.
The Alaska senator acknowledged that it appeared that Kavanaugh would be seated on the Supreme Court "without my vote."
Murkowski pointed to Kavanaugh's combative testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, saying "that appearance of impropriety has become unavoidable."
She called the bitter nomination process for Kavanaugh "horrible" and "gut-wrenching," saying it had left "good people ... needlessly hurt."
Just like Obama..how fitting..she knows she is officially irrelevant
“I do this because a friend, a colleague of ours is in Montana this evening and ... he’s going to be walking his daughter down the aisle and he won’t be present to vote,” Murkowski said. “I have extended this as a courtesy to my friend. It will not change the outcome of the vote.”
But we were told 100 times he was going to vote.
Way to go, Murky. You found a way to piss off everyone all at once.
Profiles in courage.
“But we know that in our role of advice and consent, it is not just the record itself. There is more that is attached to it,” she added, mentioning “matters of temperament” and “demeanor.”
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That is the same statement put out by every democrat. Feinstein probably wrote it for her.
How is this different than a no vote?
I read elsewhere that a “present” vote will be tallied in such a way that a “yes” on the other side will be needed to override it.
And he's out when needed the most.
It’s a non vote
WHAT courtesy???
So this is what female leadership looks like. Don’t take a position if you are on the beading edge of a major vote. Giving woman the right to vote was a mistake, period!
Well, that ended her career!
Get 4 F15 trainers and 2 KC 10 tankers ready after his daughters wedding and After-burn his ass to the Senate to vote “aye”.
She had been primaried out but the Bush League Republicans just HAD to have that amnesty vote.......
What the Hell is wrong with Alaska? Should we give it back to Mother Russia?
Yeah, and just whose fault is that, hmmmm?
Dudette. Took the place of Father.
Don’t trust her.
Daines needs to be there
What a dip-spit.
Put this cow out to pasture.
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