Jeff Flake Says Brett Kavanaugh’s Nomination Is Over if FBI Finds That He Lied

Last Friday, Brett Kavanaugh’s vote to move from judiciary committee to full senate was passed, with the addition of an FBI investigation into the matter. In an interview that aired Sunday, Jeff Flake said that if that investigation found that Kavanaugh lied to the judicial committee during his hearing, his nomination would “be over,” per CNN. This is especially relevant today, as there is emerging evidence and analysis suggesting that he was less than truthful in his testimony, even if we’ll never know what happened between him and Christine Ford.

Flake and fellow senator Chris Coons spoke in a CBS News interview about the events leading up to the delay. The two recalled Flake calling Coons into an anteroom, saying the events were “tearing the country apart” and agreeing that they “have to do something.” They seem to imply that the realization was Flake’s own, but it’s difficult to see his decision without the influence of two women.

After declaring he would cast his vote to move Kavanaugh forward, Flake was confronted by two protesters in an elevator. Many believe it was this confrontation that caused Flake to change his mind and call for an FBI investigation into the allegations. The protesters came forward as survivors of sexual assault and told Flake that with his vote, he was telling those women, and all women, that their pain did not matter.

If Kavanaugh’s nomination is undone by this FBI investigation, we’ll have these two women to thank.