Senators vote on Kavanaugh's nomination

By Brian Ries, Meg Wagner, Jessie Yeung, Veronica Rocha and Paul P. Murphy, CNN

Updated 1811 GMT (0211 HKT) November 25, 2018
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7:00 p.m. ET, October 4, 2018

Capitol Police made 302 arrests in Kavanaugh protests today 

From CNN's Kevin Bohn

Activists shout slogans during a protest against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh October 4, 2018 at the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Activists shout slogans during a protest against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh October 4, 2018 at the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Capitol Police arrested 302 protesters Thursday during demonstrations at the Hart and Dirksen Senate Office buildings over the Brett Kavanaugh nomination.

In a statement, the department said police arrested 293 people at 3:30 p.m. ET for "unlawfully demonstrating in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building."

Two hours later, police received reports of protests on the fourth floor of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. They arrested nine people.

All protesters were charged with crowding, obstructing or incommoding, the department said. 

6:46 p.m. ET, October 4, 2018

Susan Collins has finished reading the report — but she's not commenting yet

From CNN's Lauren Fox

Sen. Susan Colllins — a key vote in Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation — told reporters she has read the interviews and “many” of the tip line transcripts.  

Departing the sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, where the report has been held, she would not comment further on if she’d made up her mind or if she learned anything that helped her make up her mind.

“I’m not going to comment. I have finished reviewing and reading all of the interviews, but I’m not going to comment," she said.
6:37 p.m. ET, October 4, 2018

Mike Pence will be in DC this weekend. Here's why that's notable.

From CNN's Liz Landers

Vice President Mike Pence will be in DC this weekend, a White House official tells CNN. That was always the plan: He travels tomorrow to New York City, but there was no plan for him to be out of town on Saturday and Sunday.

So why does that matter? This, of course, makes him available at a moment’s notice to drive down to Capitol Hill to cast a tie-breaking vote on the Brett Kavanaugh nomination. 

8:57 p.m. ET, October 4, 2018

FBI interviews: Who spoke in the Kavanaugh investigation?

From CNN's Eli Watkins

Senators spent Thursday reviewing the FBI's supplemental background report of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the product of a week-long investigation.

The identities of all interviewees have not been released yet, although CNN has previously confirmed some people who spoke with the FBI and others who the agency did not approach.

Here's some of the people who the FBI interviewed:

  • Deborah Ramirez, who alleges that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during his freshman year at Yale.
  • Mark Judge, a high school friend of Kavanaugh's who Christine Blasey Ford said was in the room during Kavanaugh's alleged assault on her.
  • Leland Keyser: Ford said Keyser was at the gathering when Kavanaugh allegedly assaulted her. Keyser has said she did not refute Ford, but did not remember the alleged incident.
  • Patrick Smyth: Ford said Smyth was also at the gathering, but not in the room, when she was assaulted.
  • Chris Garrett: In Kavanaugh's now-famous calendar, which he kept around the time of the incident Ford alleges, Garrett was listed as an attendee at the 1982 party.
  • Tim Gaudette: Kavanaugh's calendar also listed Gaudette as an attendee at the 1982 party.

Notably not interviewed? Lawyers for Kavanaugh accusers Christine Blasey Ford and said the FBI never interviewed her. There's also no indication that the FBI interviewed Julie Swetnick, the third accuser, or those connected to Swetnick. And Kavanaugh — the Supreme Court nominee in question — did not speak with the FBI during this investigation.

Read more here.

CORRECTION: This post has been corrected to reflect that Julie Swetnick was not interviewed by the FBI.

6:00 p.m. ET, October 4, 2018

The FBI report includes 45 pages of interviews

From CNN's Ariane de Vogue

The FBI report sent to Capitol Hill includes 45 pages of interview summaries, a source familiar with the report said.

In addition, there are 1,600 extra pages of information that the FBI sent up from their tip line. The Hill did not ask for the additional pages, the source said. The source added that broad search terms were used, which also captured information not directly related to the allegations.

There was no synopsis included by the FBI and only a standard background information coversheet, according to the source.

5:47 p.m. ET, October 4, 2018

2 protesters arrested at Jeff Flake's office in Phoenix

From CNN’s Dan Simon

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) arrives at the Office of Senate Security, which houses a 'sensitive compartmented information facility,' or SCIF,  to view the the FBI report on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Oct. 4, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) arrives at the Office of Senate Security, which houses a 'sensitive compartmented information facility,' or SCIF, to view the the FBI report on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Oct. 4, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Two protesters were arrested Thursday on suspicion of blocking the entrance to Sen. Jeff Flake's office. 

After trying to meet with Flake's staff, the protesters left his office, went to the front of the office building and sat down. There are several other offices inside the building.

The protesters were calling on Flake to vote no on Brett Kavanaugh. They were joined by other demonstrators, who were protesting Kavanaugh and President Trump outside Flake's office. 

5:28 p.m. ET, October 4, 2018

Ted Cruz: "I believe Judge Kavanaugh's gonna be confirmed"

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said that he hasn't read the FBI report yet, but will do so tonight or tomorrow morning.

Either way, he said, he feels confident in Kavanaugh's confirmation.

"I believe Judge Kavanaugh's gonna be confirmed. Last week was a circus even from the partisan standards of how Washington is now," he said.

He criticized Sen. Dianne Feinstein for not reporting Ford's allegations earlier, and said there were "two victims" from Democrats "leaking those allegations": "No. 1, Dr. Ford and her family had their names dragged through the mud, and No. 2, Judge Kavanaugh and his family had their names dragged through the mud."

Although Cruz stressed the importance of fairness and respect for both Ford and Kavanaugh, he concluded, "I looked at the evidence and the corroborating evidence was all contrary to the allegations."

He also lambasted Democrats for "playing games" and trying to delay the confirmation, for "smearing" Kavanaugh and his family, and for their "extreme partisanship."

"Watching Senate Democrats go into high dudgeon about, 'How dare a teenage kid in high school drink beer?' is just a little ridiculous," said Cruz.

5:17 p.m. ET, October 4, 2018

Report: Retired Supreme Court Justice Stevens suggests Kavanaugh should be disqualified for hearing performance

From CNN's Ariane de Vogue

The Palm Beach Post reports that retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens suggested to an audience in Boca Raton, Florida, today that Brett Kavanaugh should be disqualified.   

According to the paper (as well as the moderator, Frank Cerabino, who confirmed the comments), Stevens said, "At that time, I thought (Kavanaugh) had the qualifications for the Supreme Court should he be selected.

"I've changed my views for reasons that have no relationship to his intellectual ability ... I feel his performance in the hearings ultimately changed my mind," the retired jurist said.

Commentators, Stevens said, have argued that Kavanaugh's blistering testimony during a Sept. 27 hearing on sexual misconduct allegations demonstrated a potential for political bias should he serve on the Supreme Court.

"I think there's merit to that criticism and I think the senators should really pay attention that," Stevens said at a closed event hosted by retirement group, The Institute for Learning.
5:06 p.m. ET, October 4, 2018

Collins returns to SCIF room to review the FBI report

From CNN's Manu Raju

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a key undecided vote in Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation, has just returned to the SCIF room to review more of the FBI's background investigation report.

When asked by CNN's Manu Raju if she had more questions or concerns, she said, “I’m not going to draw conclusions before I’m finished reading.”