On Friday, Republican senator Jeff Flake, with fellow senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, requested an FBI investigation of the allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. These investigations will delay the vote for at least another week. While this investigation could turn up more evidence against Kavanaugh, many Republicans claim that it is just prolonging the ordeal and bringing more hate to Kavanaugh and his family. Flake himself has professed that he will support Kavanaugh if the FBI investigation shows that he is not lying about the assault.
1. Why do you think Flake requested the investigation?
2. Will these investigations actually have an effect on Kavanaugh's confirmation? (Remember, Republicans are the majority vote)
3. Many Democrats are complaining because the FBI investigation is limited due to time constraints. Do you think they should conduct a complete investigation? Why or why not?
1. I think Flake requested the investigation because it will help him make the right decision on whether or not he will vote yes to make Kavanaugh a Supreme Court Justice. Flake is on the fence and also wants to confirm that Kavanagh is telling the truth person and that Flake makes a thoughtful decision that could impact his own career.
ReplyDelete2. If they end up finding something that confirms Kavanaugh is guilty, it would look bad if the senators support a Supreme Court Justice who not sexually assaulted a woman but also lied when they are supposed to be the most honorable and truthful people in the country. It can have an effect if something turns up but will reaffirm Kavanaugh as the right fit if nothing turns up.
3. If they really want to confirm that he did or did not sexually assault I think they should do a more thorough investigation that is not time sensitive. Perhaps some feel that he did not do it and that it would be a waste of time but with such an important decision where the whole nation is watching, they should be willing to conduct a complete investigation without time restraints.
Unlike the Democratic motive for requesting an investigation, Jeff Flake did not request the investigation as an attempt to filibuster the confirmation process of Judge Brett kavanaugh. Rather, Flake’s motives were most likely his commitment to conducting a fair investigation of the candidate for the Supreme Court spot, as is expected of a responsible Senator. An ulterior motive for Flake may also be to gain more popular support from the candidate if and when results come back demonstrating that Kavanaugh and not engaged in deliberate acts of sexual assault.
ReplyDeleteWhen examining the makeup of the senate on a surface level it appears that Kavanaugh will be confirmed regardless of the investigation’s results. However, there are several swing votes on both sides of the aisle that will be dependent on the results of the investigation. Not only will these swing voters vote in accordance with what they believe their constituents desire, they will also have to decide for themselves (as member of an investigative panel) whether or not the Supreme Court candidate is worthy of a nomination.
Given the original, and continuing, reluctance for Republicans to cooperate with Democrats and vice versa I believe that the investigation has been a major step forward in bipartisan relations over the course of the Senate hearing, and should not be taken for granted by either party. Moreover, while one week is limited, it is not feasible to expect that any more time would be given to the investigation.Additionally, the FBI has an abundance of resources that it can utilize over the course of a week to gather enough information for the Senate members to make an informed decision regarding the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Julia Doran
ReplyDelete1. Flake requested the investigation because he wants to make a fair evaluation of Kavanaugh. Flake wants to be sure of his vote.
2. This investigation will have an effect on the swing voters from both the Republicans and Democrats. This is about 5 people who will be the deciding votes. This investigation may make them vote a certain way. Although there is a majority Republicans, there are three Republican swing votes.
3. The investigation is a necessary step, however the time constraint will make it difficult to have a full investigation. I think that the best investigation would be a full investigation without time constraints however that it is not possible. The FBI needs to and should be able to do the best they can in this limited amount of time.
Julia Maxwell
ReplyDelete1. Why do you think Flake requested the investigation?
I think that Flake requested an FBI investigation because he wants to know whether Kavanaugh is lying about his innocence, and Flake wants to make sure that Kavanaugh is fit to serve on the supreme court.
2. Will these investigations actually have an effect on Kavanaugh's confirmation? (Remember, Republicans are the majority vote)
I do think that the investigation could have on Kavanaugh's confirmation. Republicans do have the majority vote, but that does not mean he would get the position because three Republicans say they are undecided. Some Senators may not vote for Kavanaugh if he is guilty because he would have been lying before and he would have sexually assaulted a women.
3. Many Democrats are complaining because the FBI investigation is limited due to time constraints. Do you think they should conduct a complete investigation? Why or why not?
I think that the FBI has the ability to a thorough job with the time restraint given to them. It would be better if they had more time, but under the circumstances I think that the FBI can do a lot with the time given.
1. I think that the main reason Jeff Flake decided to request the FBI Investigation was due to the pressure and guilt that the two girls on the elevator gave. However, for him to feel guilty, he must have had his own doubts, even if minor. Flake must have thought that the FBI investigation would settle his doubts, and that is why he called it.
ReplyDelete2. I think the investigations will most likely not have an effect on the confirmation. This is because the FBI will most likely not be able to find anything, both due to the low amount of time they have as well as how hard something like this will be to prove. However, in the off chance that they do manage to find something, I think that it has huge potential to swing the vote against Kavanaugh.
3. I am not sure if they will be able to complete a full investigation. The incident happened a very long time ago, and trying to investigate that with only a week will not help too much. However, the FBI is obviously very experienced and very resourceful, and they will be able to conduct enough of an investigation to return with a fairly confident verdict.
Kaz Hishida
DeleteMadison Kong
ReplyDelete1. I think Flake requested the FBI investigation to confirm his own thoughts about the situation because he was obviously having some doubts in order for him to call the investigation in the first place (in addition to the pressure from the girls in the elevator). I also think part of this relates to his public image in showing he's a logical person of integrity who wants a fair evaluation.
2. The FBI investigations will most likely not have an effect on the confirmation simply because I don't think the investigations will reveal much more. A week is a short period of time to find accurate information on a case from so many years ago, so I don't think there will be anything to change the members' minds or influence the swing votes.
3. Realistically, I don't think anyone wants the case to extend much longer, so there will not be a full investigation. Personally, I would want to see a full investigation (with a longer period of time but still have a time constraint), but I know that it will not happen.
1. Although some might think that Flake requested the FBI investigation on Kavanaugh to stall the decision, Flake most likely requested the FBI investigation to ensure that Kavanaugh's innocence is truthful. He is most likely trying to settle his doubts about his candidacy for the Supreme Court.
ReplyDelete2. I honestly don't think the FBI investigation will provide a confirmation on Kavanugh's innocence or guilt in the short time of a week. If there was evidence that could condemn him or prove his innocence it would have already surfaced by now.
3. I don't think there should be an extended investigation since the crime took place so long ago that evidence will be hard to find in such a short period of time. An extended investigation will only drag out the process and cause more suspicion that will most likely never be proved by any factual evidence since the supposed crime happened so long ago.
1. I believe that Flake requested the investigation in order to give himself and his other senators a few more days to come to a decision they were comfortable with. Although it was likely they did not change their opinion during that time, they strengthened confidence in that decision.
ReplyDelete2. I do not believe these investigations will do anything as it seems as though Republicans will easily waive off anything that is not major. They only see it as prolonging the inevitable, rather than a valid investigation.
3. I believe in order to be fair towards both parties there should be a complete investigation as there could be secrets that require more time to be uncovered. Putting time constraints only benefits the Republicans, leaving the Democrats feeling like they got the short end of the stick.
Robert Chin
Delete1. I think Flake requested the investigation in order to make sure that Kavanaugh is not guilty. The truth behind this incident could impact both the image of Republicans and Kavanaugh. This investigation will allow Flake to make sure of Kavanaugh’s innocence.
ReplyDelete2. These investigations will probably not have an effect on Kavanaugh’s confirmation because they will probably not reveal any new or revealing information about Kavanaugh. However, should something be found, the image of Republicans and Kavanaugh will be hurt.
3. I do not think there should be a complete investigation because of time restraints and the fact that this event occurred many years ago, making it difficult to find information about this incident that few people are aware about.
1. I believe that Flake requested this investigation so he would be sure if Kavanaugh was guilty or not. This would allow him to be sure of his decision if Kavanaugh would be qualified to be a Supreme Court justice.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that little to no evidence will come out of this investigation as this event took place such a long time ago. So in the end, this investigation will most likely have no impact on the outcome of the vote.
3. I believe that there should've been time given to the FBI to complete a complete investigation so both sides could be sure of where they stand on the issue. But, I also believe that even with a complete investigation the results would have been the same due to the lack of evidence due to the passing of time.
1. Flake wants the investigation so he knows if Kavanaugh is guilty or not. If Kavanaugh is found guilty, this could lead to negative effects towards both the Republican party and Kavanaugh. OVerall, they want to figure out whether or not he is qualified to be a part of the Supreme Court
ReplyDelete2. There was little evidence that came out of the investigation and he was proven not guilty. Therefore, the impact will have little to no impact on the vote.
3. I think it is really difficult to investigate the situation because it had occurred many years ago and the only real evidence was people talking about Kavanaugh. Whether they are being truthful or not, there is no real way of telling and Kavanaugh is not guilty unless proven otherwise. People could by lying and that people's statements are not enough to prove the man guilty
I believe Flake requested the investigation to know that his vote is the best and accurate decision he could make.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. The GOP is likely not going to change their votes.
Yes, of course. Accusations should not be taken lightly. A FBI should be complete and thorough.
1. I think Flake requested the investigation because he truly wants Kavanaugh to be fairly evaluated by the court, and this can only be done once senators that are conflicted about voting for Kavanaugh (such as Flake himself) are assured by the FBI that he does not appear guilt of the sexual assault.
ReplyDelete2. Although Republicans make up the majority of the Senate, this does not guarantee them the ability to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. 3 Republican swing votes (Flake, Collins, and Murkowski) and possibly 1-2 Democrats could be affected by the outcome of the investigation and actually vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
3. I think a complete investigation is a necessary action given the power of SCOTUS justices and the impact they will continue to have in the many, many years after they are put on the court. Because they are appointed for life, I believe a through investigation into determining if Kavanaugh truly is a bad man that could assault a women is very much needed. Time should not be especially limited because this extra time comes nowhere close to the amount of time Kavanugh will end up spending on the court if he's confirmed.
1. I believe that Flake requested the investigation because he wanted more time to solidify the decision because he might be unsure of it. By requesting an investigation, it bought Flake more time to think through the decision and more time to make the most accurate decision.
ReplyDelete2. I personally don't believe that these investigations will have any effect because it probably won't reveal anything new. But if something new is found, it would hurt the image of the Republicans and Kavanaugh.
3. I think they should do a complete investigation because this is a serious topic and the FBI should not skimp on anything. Not only this, but it will be more fair as it takes time to find/uncover stuff. Not only this, but an incomplete investigation will give Republicans the advantage.
1. Flake wanted to request the investigation because he was pressured by democrats to have an investigation. In addition, he would not want it to seem like he is hiding something and to make the criticism go down in the public. In addition, it would give him more time and congress to talk about it which would also calm down the demcorats.
ReplyDelete2. These investigations could have an impact on his election, but I think it would be so small because the republics and democrats are very divided in the government and therefore, I think most republics would still vote for the confirmation because of their majority in the government.
3.I think they should conduct a complete investigation, but I really think they will not in a week because it takes time to conduct a complete investigation. As it turns out, they did not because they never interviewed Ford or even Kavanaugh, showing how incomplete it was.
1. Why do you think Flake requested the investigation?
ReplyDeleteI think that he was in a way pressured by the left wing. He was unsure of the decision and wanted to be sure. He also wanted it to be completely fair for Kavanaugh in the court.
2. Will these investigations actually have an effect on Kavanaugh's confirmation? (Remember, Republicans are the majority vote)
Yes, they could but not a lot. Most likely, we will not find out anything new, showing that it will not have an effect. If something major is found then yes, a large effect could result.
3. Many Democrats are complaining because the FBI investigation is limited due to time constraints. Do you think they should conduct a complete investigation? Why or why not?
Yes, I do. Due to the small amount of time, I don't belive that they will conduct a complete investigation, but if there was more time, then they should. This is a very serious matter and it should not be breezed over. By doing a complete investigation, it is fair.
-Tovia Sobel