Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) suggested on Tuesday she would support an FBI investigation into the sexual assault allegations that have surfaced against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Murkowski, considered a crucial swing vote on whether Kavanaugh can win confirmation in the closely divided Senate, briefly remarked to reporters on Capitol Hill that an investigation “would sure clear up all the questions, wouldn’t it?”
She did not elaborate. A spokeswoman for Murkowski did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request for comment.
Christine Blasey Ford, one of the two women to come forward with allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted them, had called for a full FBI investigation into the incident, which she says occurred when they were in high school.
Republican leaders on Capitol Hill and the Justice Department have so far rejected her request. Blasey is expected to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. So is Kavanaugh, who has vehemently denied the assault allegations.
So far, the accusations by Blasey as well as Deborah Ramirez, a classmate of Kavanaugh’s at Yale University, have done little to deter GOP Senate leaders from attempting to move full speed ahead with Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Murkowski is perennially seen as a swing vote on conservative judicial nominations because of her pro-choice views on abortion. She has faced increasing pressure from constituents in Alaska to vote against Kavanaugh’s nomination. Also, the state’s governor, an independent, and its Democratic lieutenant governor have come out in opposition to Kavanaugh.