WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Jeff Flake, seen as a key vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee in advancing the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, was confronted on Friday by impassioned women who said they are sexual assault survivors. The women, Ana Maria Archila and Maria Maria Gallagher, pleaded with Flake in a Senate elevator after he said he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
Now the women are being called courageous for their words as Flake called for a one week delay in the floor vote, pending an FBI probe and President Donald Trump has ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation.
As Flake tried to get to the Senate Judiciary Committee vote, he was swarmed by reporters and protesters while he stood inside an elevator. When The Washington Post first published an article identifying Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as the woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s, Flake said he was “uncomfortable” in voting to advance the nomination. However, after Thursday’s hearing where both Ford and Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Flake said he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
In a statement, Flake said he left the hearings “with as much doubt as certainty.” He added that the United States justice system “affords a presumption of innocence to the accused, absent corroborating evidence,” using that as justification for his yes vote. He said he believes that the constitution’s provision of fairness and due process apply here as well.
“I told the story of my sexual assault, I told it because I recognized in Dr. Ford’s story that she’s telling the truth,” Archila, a Queens resident who is the co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, said as Flake stood in the elevator. “What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit in the Supreme Court.
“This is not tolerable, you have children in your family,” she continued. “Think about them, I have two children, I cannot imagine that for the next 50 years, they will have to have someone in the Supreme Court who has been accused of violating a young girl, what are you doing sir?”
While Archila spoke, Gallagher, 23, who was standing in the vicinity of the elevator yelled at Flake.
“I was sexually assaulted and nobody believed me,” she said.
“I didn’t tell anyone and you’re telling all women that they don’t matter, that they should just stay quiet because if they tell you what happened to them you’re going to ignore them,” Gallagher said, her voice brimming with emotion. “That’s what happened to me, that’s what you’re telling all women in America, that they don’t matter, they should just keep it to themselves because if they have told the truth, you’re just going to help that man to power anyway.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you, you’re telling me that my assault doesn’t matter,” she said.
Gallagher later told The Daily Beast she had come to the Senate building to protest Kavanaugh’s nomination and was tasked with camping outside Flake’s office to persuade him to vote no. She told the publication it made her very angry when Flake wouldn’t meet her eyes.
You can watch the full video below:
After the confrontation, the committee voted to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination but Flake called for a one-week delay in the floor vote and asked for an FBI investigation. The Senate Judiciary Committee issued a statement late Friday that it will request that the administration instruct the FBI to conduct a supplemental background investigation into Kavanaugh. In a statement, the committee said the investigation would be limited to current credible allegations and must be completed no later than a week from Friday.
“I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file,” Trump said in a statement. “As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.”
While there’s no indication what impact, if any the women had on Flake’s decision to call for the delay, many applauded them for raising their voices.
Gallagher too posted a photo of her and Archila and said she feels relieved that Flake seems to have heard their voices.
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Archila issued the following statement:
Flake, who is not running for reelection in 2018, positioned himself as someone who would oppose President Donald Trump. In the closely-watch Senate race in Alabama between Republican Roy Moore, who faced accusations of sexual misconduct leading up to the race, and Democrat Doug Jones, Flake supported Jones and donated $100 to his campaign. Flake posted a photo of the check he donated to Jones and captioned it “Country over Party.” When Flake announced back in Oct. 2017 that he would not seek reelection, he delivered a speech from the Senate floor that was a rebuke to Trump. In his speech, Flake said he plans to spend his time in the Senate standing up and speaking out “as if our country depends on it.”
Given Flake’s calls to rise up above political considerations, his decision to support Kavanaugh appeared to contrast his public statements and past actions.
This report is being updated.
Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press