Georgia U.S. Sen. David Perdue will vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the Republican said Friday afternoon, offering his full-throated support as the FBI kicked off a week-long probe into sexual assault allegations against the embattled circuit court judge.
“It is time to take a vote before the full Senate. It is time to put the Democrats’ partisan delays behind us. It is time to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court,” Perdue said in a statement.
Perdue's comments came a day after Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor who accused him of sexual assaulting her in the 1980s, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in an emotionally-charged hearing that captivated the country. Earlier Friday, the Judiciary panel agreed to request a limited FBI investigation into Ford's allegations, heeding the call of one of its wavering Republican members, Jeff Flake of Arizona.
Perdue did not mention Flake in his statement, instead blaming Democrats for the investigation, which GOP leaders said should be completed no later than Oct. 5.
“It is clear that Senate Democrats’ demands for an FBI investigation are nothing more than an orchestrated effort to cause a delay and push this decision past the election in November,” Perdue said. “Shame on the United States Senate if it puts political interest before its constitutional responsibility.”
Perdue had previously committed to voting for Kavanaugh prior to Ford's allegations surfacing, but later vowed to take into account the pair's testimony.
Less than 24 hours after the hearing, Perdue concluded that Ford did not present any corroborating evidence to support her accusations.
“Judge Kavanaugh has been consistent and categorical in his denial,” he said. “While Dr. Ford identified three witnesses, each of these witnesses stated under penalty of perjury that the events did not occur, which further corroborates Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony.”
Perdue's Georgia colleague, Republican Johnny Isakson, has not said definitively how he will vote beyond backing a procedural motion to kick off debate. But on Friday he endorsed the FBI probe and suggested he could support Kavanaugh if the agency's investigation did not uncover new information.
Neither lawmaker is considered a swing vote for the Democrats.
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