EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ted Cruz discusses FBI investigation into Kavanaugh sexual misconduct allegations
WASHINGTON, Texas (KTRK) -- For two days, Texas Senator Ted Cruz was part of a committee deciding the fate of a Supreme Court nominee, and whether that nomination should move forward.
He arrived home in Houston late Friday night after confirming the process wouldn't continue this weekend.
In the end, Brett Kavanaugh's nomination moved forward and Cruz was among the senators who voted for him, but with an FBI investigation required with a deadline of one week to complete.
Cruz appeared Saturday at a Republican candidates rally in Washington County near Brenham. Speaking to us about the FBI investigation requirement, Cruz said it is now part of the process, but expects no surprises.
"I think we will find ourselves in a very similar spot next week, but will obviously look at the substance of the FBI report and assess it on the merits," he said.
He said he was impressed by the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh, which he also called contradictory. There was no witness to confirm her allegations, he said, and there was a long record of public service on the part of Kavanaugh.
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake voted to move Kavanaugh's nomination forward, and later worked on the compromise that called for the FBI investigation, adding that he felt the issue is tearing the nation apart.
Cruz agreed that, "this is a deeply divided time, and this is contributing to that, but in the wake of the 2016 election, we've seen viciousness and hatred. My wife and I were targeted by protestors this week in Washington when we went out to dinner."
Whether Kavanaugh becomes the second Supreme Court Justice under the Trump administration, or if he fails to get Senate confirmation, there will still be outcries, Cruz believes.
"It's a shame we're so tribalized. We're so divided, and that anger and division is not good for our country," he said.
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