Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) announced Friday morning that he will be voting against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be confirmed to the Supreme Court.
In his statement announcing his decision, Sen. Donnelly said that the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh were “disturbing and credible.”
Read Joe's statement on the Kavanaugh nomination: pic.twitter.com/JvjTOKEDyF
— Senator Joe Donnelly (@SenDonnelly) September 28, 2018
“My job as a Senator is to gather as much information as I can to make the best-informed decision,” he said. “The allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh are disturbing and credible. In the interest of getting as much information as possible, I believe the allegations should be investigated by the FBI.”
As a moderate Democrat, Sen. Donnelly was a key vote in the confirmation process.
Kavanaugh's confirmation will be determined by other key moderate senators such as Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ).
The three reportedly met along with moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) Thursday evening prior to the Republican conference following the hearing. They all remain officially undecided.
The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford both gave emotional testimonies Thursday on allegations that he groped her and pinned her down while he was drunk at a party in high school.
Kavanaugh fully denies her allegations and the witnesses she initially claimed were present have denied that such an event occurred.