Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filed cloture to end debate on Kavanaugh’s nomination Wednesday evening right before the midnight deadline.
McConnell made an announcement from the Senate floor Wednesday night–he is moving forward to set up the confirmation vote on Saturday.
The Senate Majority Leader said there will be plenty of time for Senators to review the FBI’s report on Kavanaugh and he wanted to commit to his end of week vote.
Senators and a limited number of aides will be able to look at the FBI report beginning Thursday morning, according to FOX News.
CHAD PERGRAM: McConnell files cloture to end debate on Kavanaugh nomination. Sets up Friday procedural vote & prospective Saturday confirmation vote
McConnell files cloture to end debate on Kavanaugh nomination. Sets up Friday procedural vote & prospective Saturday confirmation vote
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 4, 2018
How the next 48 hours will go down:
Process to confirm Kavanaugh 2) Thursday: By rule, a “cloture petition,” the parliamentary mechanism to end debate in the Senate, must lay over untouched for an entire day before it “ripens” and is ready for a procedural vote. Thursday serves as the layover day.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 4, 2018
Process to confirm Kavanaugh 3) By rule, the cloture petition to halt debate “ripens” one hour after the Senate meets. This requires 51 votes. If the Senate votes to “invoke cloture” or limit debate, opponents of the nomination then get 30 hours to run out the string.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 4, 2018
Mitch McConnell is fulfilling his promise to “plow through” and confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Earlier Wednesday, McConnell put Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in his place and denied his request to give an all Senators briefing on the supplemental FBI report of Kavanaugh.
“And in all candor, I believe it would be used to further delay this nomination–a goal about which you and your Democratic colleagues have been abundantly clear and single-minded in pursuing,” McConnell wrote to Schumer.
Watch Mitch McConnell in action from the Senate floor:
BREAKING: Senate Majority Leader McConnell files cloture to continue Senate confirmation process for Judge Kavanaugh, setting up debate, followed by weekend voting on the nomination. pic.twitter.com/FgPTTDVUBK
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 4, 2018
