UPDATE: The committee has voted to confirm Kavanaugh, but Republican Jeff Flake has called for an FBI probe. Read the latest here.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will be voting to either confirm or deny Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court Friday morning.
The vote comes one day after hours of emotionally charged testimony from Kavaunaugh and the woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her while they were teenagers.
Christine Blasey Ford held back tears while she explained how Kavanaugh allegedly held her down on a bed and tried to remove her clothes.
Kavanaugh at times appeared angry as he denied the event, and even denied knowing Ford.
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What happens Friday morning?
The committee, which is made up of 10 Democrats and 11 Republicans, will convene for an executive business meeting at 9:30 a.m. ET.
The vote is expected to take place at 1:30 p.m.
The committee could vote in several ways, recommending either that the full Senate approve the nomination, that the Senate reject it, or making no recommendation at all.
Despite having more Republicans on the committee, the outcome is uncertain because Sen. Jeff Flake outwardly didn’t give an indication of how he will vote before Friday. On Friday morning he released a statement saying he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
What happens after the vote?
No matter what the committee recommends, majority leader Mitch McConnell can still call for a vote in the Senate to confirm Kavanaugh.
Senators have been notified that they should expect a procedural vote to happen on the weekend. The final vote is expected to come early next week, possibly Tuesday.
Democrats and the American Bar Association have urged Republicans to wait for a completed FBI investigation into the multiple claims of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh before the vote takes place.
The 100-person Senate is controlled by the Republicans (51-49) but as the midterms are approaching, it may not stay that way for long.
Three senators have not taken firm positions on Kavanaugh. Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Joe Manchin met separately after the hearing. It’s likely the four of them will vote as a bloc.
— With files from Reuters
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