Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) visited “The View,” where he faced some tough questions about his vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The Arizona Republican helped reopen a background check into sexual assault claims against Kavanaugh by a former teenage acquaintance, Christine Blasey Ford, and “View” co-host Sunny Hostin pointed out that she had prosecuted cases with similar evidence.
“As a former sex crimes prosecutor, I prosecuted many cases with just a woman’s testimony,” Hostin said. “Because with sex crimes, there typically are no witnesses in the room, and I’ve convicted every single person based on a woman’s testimony.”
She asked the senator point blank whether he believed Ford’s testimony under oath, but Flake said he could not answer.
“You know, she was very compelling, he was very persuasive,” Flake said. “I don’t know, I don’t know. I wish I had the certitude that some of my colleagues expressed, but I said on the floor before that hearing, we’re likely to leave the hearing with as much doubt as certainty, and that’s how I felt afterwards.”
Co-host Joy Behar then put Flake on the spot.
“If there was some ambiguity as you describe it, why not find another person?” Behar said. “There are many judges out there who are quite capable for the job — why him?”
Flake said he understood her concerns, but the senator indicated he was more concerned about setting a precedent for future nominees than gambling on putting a credibly accused sexual offender on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“That’s a valid view,” Flake said. “On the flip side, people would say with some justification that if the mere allegation with no corroboration is sufficient to disqualify someone, we have entered a new phase that we probably don’t want to enter.”
Hostin again asked whether Flake believed Kavanaugh’s accuser, but he couldn’t say.
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Flake said. “I don’t know if I believed him either.”
Conservative co-hosts Abby Huntsman and Meghan McCain applauded Flake for admitting he wasn’t sure, but host Whoopi Goldberg wasn’t satisfied.
“If there is a modicum of doubt, because it’s not just what she was saying,” Goldberg said.
She said the nominee’s testimony seemed incomplete or inconsistent, and she pointed out that Flake himself had doubts about Kavanaugh.
“When you have all of that, is that not enough reason to take a break and say maybe we need to get a different candidate?” she said.
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