Trump Orders FBI Probe After GOP Agrees to Delay Kavanaugh Vote
*By Carlo Versano*
After nearly two weeks of resistance, President Trump ordered an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, whose future seat on the nation's highest court had been suddenly thrown into doubt thanks to the wavering support of Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ).
Trump's order came at the end of another dramatic day in Washington, when Senator Flake, considered to be a key swing vote in Kavanaugh's confirmation, requested a delay on a floor vote so that the FBI could look into accusations raised by three women about sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh during his high school and collegiate years.
The Senate Judiciary Committee granted that request, saying in a statement, "The supplemental FBI background investigation would be limited to current credible allegations" and set a deadline of one week.
Earlier in the day Flake, after huddling with Democrats and being confronted by protestors, said that while he supported Kavanaugh's nomination, it was under the condition that there be a one-week delay for a "limited in scope" investigation. "We owe them due diligence," Flake said of Kavanaugh's named accusers, three women in total. That was a significant reversal from his position just a few hours earlier, when he'd indicated he was a "yes."
Around that same time President Trump said he had not thought "even a little bit" about a replacement for Kavanaugh. He added that he found Thursday's testimony of one of Kavanaugh's accusers, Prof. Christine Blasey Ford, to be credible and "very compelling." He said he would leave the final decision on what comes next to the Senate.
Trump also seemed to put some distance between himself and his nominee when he told undecided Senators like Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) to "do what they think is right and be comfortable with themselves.”
After two days of marathon testimony, shouting, crying, and all-out partisan warfare carried live on television and social media, it appeared as of Friday evening that Kavanaugh did not, at the moment, have enough "yes" votes to join the Supreme Court, which begins its next session on Monday.
Now it will fall to the FBI to carry out a high-profile, multi-faceted investigation into decades-old allegations in a few days ー with the country looking on.
David Nelson, Chief Strategist at Belpointe, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that Wednesday's market movement shows a rotation back into the industries that were hit hard in January, but says his eyes are firmly fixed on the January CPI data set to be released Thursday.
Russia is preparing alongside Belarus for reportedly one of the largest joint military exercises ever held. Some analysts are concerned this could be a disguise for a real attack, while the Kremlin contends that the exercise is meant to confront potential "unprecedented security threats." Christian Whiton, a former State Department senior advisor, joined Cheddar News to break down the still tense situation. "While it could of course be a prelude to invasion, it seems like the Biden administration is signaling that if you look at Europeans, the Germans and Macron … who just met with Putin, they seem to be thinking that maybe this is a show of force by Russia intended at political intimidation, not actual invasion," said Whiton.
Truckers in Canada have blockaded the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest border crossing between Canada and the U.S. protesting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Cheddar News spoke with Samir Kapadia, head of trade practice at the Vogal Group, about how this impacts trade between the two countries.
New York City is not only dealing with the ongoing pandemic, it’s also facing a surge in crime. President Biden recently traveled to New York to meet with the city’s new mayor, Eric Adams, to discuss the rise in crime and gun violence.
The president praised Mayor Adams' crimefighting agenda and unveiled a new federal initiative to curb the flow of illegal weapons from the south. Josefa Velásquez, Senior Reporter for THE CITY, joined Cheddar's Fast Forward to talk about how the mayor is battling this increase in crime in his first weeks in office.
The Democratic governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Oregon say they will lift mask requirements for schools in the coming weeks, reflecting a nationwide shift away from restrictions. Cheddar News speaks with internist Dr. Vivek Cherian whether it's safe to relax the regulation.
Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama are set to begin voting to unionize for a second time after workers at the facility in the town of Bessemer overwhelmingly voted against forming a union during an election early last year; but in November, the National Labor Relations Board overturned the vote, upholding a union challenge of the results which argued that Amazon undermined the conditions for a fair election. Another round of ballots will now be mailed out to works at the warehouse for a so-called re-run election. Director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University John Logan and National Field Director for Our Revolution Mike Oles joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
David Daley, author of the book 'Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy,' joins Cheddar News to discuss redistricting battles taking place across the U.S.
