Key Cloture Vote On Kavanaugh Confirmation Set For Friday

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed a motion Wednesday for a cloture vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, setting in motion the procedure that would usher in the first vote sometime Friday and the vote on the full Senate floor on Saturday. McConnell also announced that the FBI's updated report on Kavanaugh was ready.

"This evening, the Senate will receive the results of the FBI's supplemental background investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh," McConnell said on the Senate floor Wednesday, and he said that senators would "have the opportunity to review the investigators' records."

Describing the review process as standard procedure, McConnell said that designated Judiciary Committee staffers with the required clearances would be authorized to brief members.

"There will be plenty of time for Members to review and be briefed on this supplemental material before a Friday cloture vote," McConnell said.

President Trump tweeted after McConnell's motion that there is "such enthusiasm and energy" for Kavanaugh. "Look at the Energy, look at the Polls. Something very big is happening. He is a fine man and great intellect. The country is with him all the way!" Mr. Trump wrote.

Attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford, the Kavanaugh accuser who testified before the Senate last Thursday, said that the FBI's investigation "did not include an interview of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford," and added that they were "profoundly disappointed that after the tremendous sacrifice she made in coming forward, those directing the FBI investigation were not interested in seeking the truth." 

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, became emotional on the Senate floor before McConnell filed for cloture. Mentioning his two daughters, he said he wanted them to be taken seriously if they came forward with accusations of sexual assault.