Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) on Sunday admitted his impending retirement from Congress played a role in his decision to call for an FBI investigation into the allegations of sexual assault levied against Brett Kavanaugh in recent weeks during a dramatic Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Friday.
“No, not a chance,” Flake told “60 Minutes” on Sunday when asked if he would’ve made the same decision had he been seeking reelection. “There’s no value to reaching across the aisle, there’s not currency for that anymore, there’s no incentive.”
Could Senator Jeff Flake have pushed for compromise in the Kavanaugh confirmation process if he were up for re-election? pic.twitter.com/rIFvnKlsqF
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 1, 2018
“I’m a completely unprincipled jerk, but at least I’m being honest… for once.”
“No, not a chance,” Flake told “60 Minutes” on Sunday when asked if he would’ve made the same decision had he been seeking reelection. “There’s no value to reaching across the aisle, there’s not currency for that anymore, there’s no incentive.”
"Nor, if you are a Republican in office, is there any value or incentive for the truth, reasoned and considered debate and decision-making, or the rule of law being applied to your own kind.
It will be interesting to see what Flake does after he leaves the Senate. He may be setting himself up for a run for POTUS but the hard right will never support him and he isn’t an option for the Democrats. If he is doing this for ethical reasons, more power to him, but my cardinal rule now is to never trust a Republican, any Republican.
An ounce of honesty is always refreshing, even if it comes in a pint of cynicism.
I used to be opposed to term limits, using the tired “let the voters decide” defense. But too many voters are uninformed idiots, so we need term limits. This is proof.