Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” with guest host Dana Bash on Sunday, defending her Saturday vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
WATCH:
Collins explained that Kavanaugh’s “forceful denial” along with the obvious pain he was feeling when he passionately voiced his own defense before the Senate Judiciary Committee were certainly part of her decision-making process — but she also noted that she supported an FBI investigation because she felt more information was needed.
Bash pressed Collins further, asking, “But as you were going through that week and as you were learning that information, as you were hearing the allegations, was there ever a time when you thought ‘I can’t vote for this guy?'”
Collins admitted that she had wavered following Ford’s testimony, but that Kavanaugh’s response was enough to push her over the line.
“I was certainly undecided and after hearing Christine Ford’s compelling and painful testimony I thought oh, my goodness, he perhaps needs to withdraw,” she said. “But then when he came back with such a forceful denial and the anger and anguish that he showed, and then the lack of corroboration led me back to the fundamental issues that are fundamental to our legal system of presumption of innocence and fairness.”
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