By Molly Prince
At least two Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have been designated special protection following increased threats after the panel’s hearing with Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing him of sexual misconduct more than 35 years ago.
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona were assigned multiple uniformed officers, the Capitol Police confirmed to Roll Call on Friday. In addition to responding to the heightened level of threats, the security will also help to manage crowd control.
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Flake, a key swing vote in Kavanaugh’s confirmation process, ignited a firestorm after he voted “yes” to advance the nominee to the full Senate with the condition that an FBI probe would briefly investigate Ford’s accusation against Kavanaugh. (RELATED: Rand Paul Calls For Investigation Into Who Doxxed Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans)
Prior to the committee meeting, Flake announced that he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh — only after speaking with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware did he include the condition of the FBI investigation.
Flake was also cornered and shouted down in an elevator by protesters on the way to the committee hearing. A prominent feminist author praised the onslaught, who said she hopes it continues “for the rest of [Flake’s] life.”
Three other Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee — Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch, both of Utah — had their personal information posted on their Wikipedia pages shortly after each questioned Kavanaugh at Thursday’s hearing.
The Capitol Police declined to further discuss protection of members of Congress. Neither Grassley nor Flake responded to a request for comment.
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