Sen. Jeff Flake was confronted by two women who said they were sexual assault survivors on Friday morning, moments after the Arizona politician said he would support Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
The women, stopping Flake in an elevator at the U.S. Capitol, challenged Flake on whether he had made the right decision in the wake of several accusations of sexual misconduct.
“Do you think Brett Kavanaugh is telling the truth?” one woman asked.
“I do,” Flake quietly replied.
“Do you think that he’s able to hold the pain of this country and repair it?” the woman shot back. “That is the work of justice. The way that justice works is you recognize her, you take responsibility for it, and then begin to repair it.”
The confrontation comes one day after Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman to accuse Kavanaugh of misconduct, testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ford said Kavanaugh attempted to rape her and covered her mouth to keep her from screaming at a Maryland high school party in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh testified later in the day and adamantly denied the accusations.
“I am innocent of this charge,” Kavanaugh said on Thursday. “I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone. Sexual assault is horrific. This is a circus and the consequences will be with us for decades.”
Flake was silent for most of the one-minute lashing he received on Friday. “You are allowing someone who is unwilling to take responsibility for his own action to sit in the higher court of the country,” the woman said. She added: “You have power when so many women are powerless.”
Flake didn’t respond to the slew of questions, but said “thank you” and said he had to get going to a hearing. You can watch the elevator interrogation below.
Jeff Flake confronted by two women after revealing he plans to vote "yes" on Kavanaugh today
"You have power when so many women are powerless" pic.twitter.com/46pRgXebmj
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) September 28, 2018