Brett Kavanaugh vote - LIVE: Swing voters Susan Collins and Joe Manchin announce they will vote yes
Donald Trump tweeted he was 'very proud' of the Senate's roll call vote
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Your support makes all the difference.The US Senate is likely set to place Brett Kavanaugh's on the Supreme Court after swing vote Senators declare they will vote to confirm Donald Trump's second nominee to the highest court in the country.
Senators were provided up to 30 hours to debate ahead of a final vote on the embattled nominee, who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by numerous women, primarily Christine Blasey Ford. However, Republican Senators Susan Collins and Jeff Flake as well Democratic Senator Joe Manchin have already said they support the nomination.
The final tally in Mr Kavanaugh’s procedural vote was 51-49, setting the stage for lawmakers to likely cast their final votes on the nominee over the weekend. Mr Trump celebrated the move, writing on Twitter, "Very proud of the US Senate for voting ‘YES’ to advance the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh!"
Protests still continue on Capitol Hill as women are openly weeping over the likelihood of Mr Kavanaugh's lifetime appointment.
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"The Senate confirmation process is not a trial," Ms Collins said.
Ms Collins said she "cannot abandon" concepts like the "presumption of innocence," "due process," and "fairness".
"When passions are most inflamed, fairness is most in jeopardy," the senator said.
She said the allegation of Julie Swetnick that Mr Kavanaugh had gang-raped women by drugging them was "outlandish" and expressed shock that an accusation like that "could make it into the Senate confirmation process".
"The four witnesses she named could not corroborate" Dr Ford's account of the alleged sexual assault, Ms Collins said, adding she felt sympathy for the upending of Dr Ford's life.
None of the witnesses said they could recall the day or seeing the incident, but did not directly refute Dr Ford's account.
Ms Collins "not even her closest friend" called Dr Ford later in the evening the night of the alleged assault to make sure she was safe.
"Fairness would dictate that the claims at least should meet a threshold of 'more likely than not'," Ms Collins said.
She said she concludes Dr Ford may have been assaulted that night "or at another time" but does not believe Mr Kavanaugh was involved.
Ms Collins said she does not want her statement to "misconstrued" - she feels "unwanted sexual contact" is a major issue in the country.
She asserts she is not "somehow condoning" sexual assault.
"The #metoo movement is real. It matters," she said.
She noted she has "listened to many survivors of sexual assault" and "some were friends I had known for decades".
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