Two sexual assault survivors confronted Senator Jeff Flake on live TV on Friday after he announced that he would be voting to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
A day after hearings Christine Blasey Ford testified about her allegation of sexual assault against Kavanaugh, Flake, who was on the Senate Judicial Committee, said in a statement that he had decided to vote to confirm Kavanaugh because there was “ as much doubt as certainty.”
Shortly after his statement, two women, both survivors of sexual assault, held up a lift Flake was in and called him out for his decision. They demanded an explanation, asking him if he really believed Kavanaugh had not sexually assaulted Ford. The entire exchange was caught on camera (video above).
One of the women, Anna Maria Archilla, told BBC that her statements to Flake was an “outpouring of frustration and rage, and sadness and anger.”
Flake did not address the women’s concerns directly at the time, only saying “thank you.” Later, he voted with the other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to refer Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate, but also said that he had voted on the condition that there would be an FBI investigation of the allegations before a confirmation vote.
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