Collins: 'I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh'

Republican Sen. Susan Collins was among the 51 "yes" votes Friday that advanced Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination to a full Senate vote later this weekend.

Hours later, the Maine senator, who is one of the handful of crucial swing votes in Kavanaugh's confirmation battle, said she would vote the same way in the final floor vote.

"I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh," Collins said.

Collins spent a good portion of her speech from the Senate floor defending Kavanaugh's record and said that Kavanaugh ought to be given the presumption of innocence and fairness.

"We must always remember that when passions are most inflamed, that fairness is most in jeopardy," she said.

Addressing the sexual assault allegation put forward by Christine Blasey Ford, Collins said she believes that Ford was assaulted.

"Nevertheless, the four witnesses she named could not corroborate any of the events" Ford described, Collins said.

"I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the court," she said.

This does not mean that unwanted sexual contact isn't a problem in the country, Collins also said, adding that a senate vote for Kavanugh does not mean it condones sexual assault.

"The #MeToo movement is real. It matters. It is needed, and it is long overdue," she said. "We must listen to survivors, and every day we must seek the stop the criminal behavior that has hurt so many."

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