After Sen. Jeff Flake’s announcement that he would, in fact, vote to confirm Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, the emotional debate over the confirmation spilled into the halls of Congress — on live television — as two women loudly and tearfully confronted the Arizona Republican in an el­e­va­tor Friday, telling him that he was dis­miss­ing the pain of sexual-assault survivors. 
 
 “What you are doing is allowing someone who ac­tu­al­ly violated a woman to sit in the Supreme Court,” one woman, who said she had been sexually assaulted, shouted during a live CNN broadcast as Flake was making his way to a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. The Center for Popular Democracy, a left-leaning advocacy organization, later identified her as the group’s co-executive director, Ana Maria Archila. 
 
 “This is horrible,” she told Flake. “You have children in your family. Think about them.” 
 
 [Analysis: Kavanaugh’s evasive testimony probably wouldn’t have been allowed in his own courtroom] 
 
 Another woman then chimed in, telling the senator that she had also been sex­u­al­ly assaulted and that no one believed her story. 
 
 “You’re telling all women that they don’t matter — that they should just stay quiet because if they tell you what happened to them, you’re going to ignore them,” she said as the TV cameras rolled. 
 
 “You’re just going to help that man to power anyway,” she added, weeping. “That’s what you’re telling all of these women. That’s what you’re telling me right now. 
 
 “Look at me when I’m talking to you! You’re telling me that my assault doesn’t matter, that what happened to me doesn’t matter and that you’re going to let people who do these things into power! That’s what you’re telling me when you vote for him! Don’t look away from me! Look at me and tell me that it doesn’t matter what happened to me — that you’ll let people like that go into the highest court in the land!” 
 
 Flake listened quietly, then told the women: “Thank you.” 
 
 “Saying ‘thank you’ is not an answer,” Archila responded. “This is about the future of our country, sir.” 
 
 A tweet from immigrant rights group Make the Road Action identified the second woman who confronted Flake as Maria Gallagher and showed a photo of her standing with Archila. A woman claiming to be Gallagher later published a tweet with the same image. 
 
 These two heroes, who confronted @JeffFlake this morning, just changed the course of the Kavanaugh process. We❤️you so much, @AnaMariaArchil2 and Maria Gallagher. #StopKavanaugh pic.twitter.com/Hd4gxLWcCE — Make the Road Action (@MaketheRoadAct) September 28, 2018 
 
 When asked whether he had a comment, the senator told reporters: “No, I need to go to the hearing. I just issued a statement. I’ll be saying more, as well.” 
 
 [The American Bar Association had Kavanaugh concerns 12 years ago. Republicans dismissed those, too.] 
 
 In his statement, issued at 9:25 a.m. Washington time, roughly six minutes before the confrontation, Flake said that Thursday’s emotional Senate Ju­di­ci­ar­y hearing had not persuaded him that Kavanaugh sex­u­al­ly assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in the 1980s. 
 
 “I wish that I could express the confidence that some of my colleagues have conveyed about what either did or did not happen in the early 1980s, but I left the hearing yesterday with as much doubt as certainty,” he said in the statement. “What I do know is that our system of justice affords a presumption of innocence to the accused, absent corroborating evidence. That is what binds us to the rule of law. While some may argue that a different standard should apply regarding the Senate’s advice and consent responsibilities, I believe that the constitution’s previsions of fairness and due process apply here as well.” 
 
 
 
 Ana Maria Archila confronts Sen. Jeff Flake in an elevator after Flake announced that he would vote in favor of sending Kavanaugh's nomination to the wider Senate for debate. (JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/REX) (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) 
 
 “I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh," Flake concluded. But that wasn’t all. 
 
 When the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send Kavanaugh’s confirmation out of committee and to the full Senate, Flake announced that his support for Kavanaugh hinged on an FBI investigation and said that he would not vote to confirm Kavanaugh without it. 
 
 On Friday afternoon, the women’s advocacy group Ultraviolet announced that Capitol Police told an organizer that Flake would “potentially press charges” against Archila and Gallagher, but a spokeswoman for Capitol Police told The Washington Post that Flake had indicated to them that he would not press charges. 
 
 [Chris Coons fights back tears defending Jeff Flake: ‘We share a deep concern’] 
 
 The confrontation was hardly the first time in which tensions over this Supreme Court nomination have boiled over on Capitol Hill. 
 
 The night before — following the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when the two were teenagers — Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) was similarly confronted by protesters in front of the cameras. Earlier, he had excoriated Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, saying, “Boy, you all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham . . . You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford; none." 
 
 As Graham was walking and talking to Fox News about the hearing — calling the way Kavanaugh was treated “despicable” and saying that he also felt bad for Ford — protesters followed him and heckled him. Graham ignored them, pausing only briefly to tell a reporter, “These people can yell all they want to. Doesn’t matter.” He then resumed the interview, attempting to speak over their shouts. 
 
 “It’s all about power,” he said. “It’s all about delaying the hearing to keep the seat open. It’s not about the truth.” 
 
 LINDSEY GRAHAM moments ago on Fox (with protesters yelling behind him): 
 
 
 
 "These people can yell all they want to. Doesn't matter. I believe him." pic.twitter.com/xyOiaGZnOF — JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) September 27, 2018 
 
 As The Post’s Reis Thebault reported, Graham and Republican senators Mike Lee and Orrin G. Hatch were “doxed” Thursday when their personal information — including their phone numbers and home addresses, were leaked to the public. Graham said Friday on “Fox & Friends” that people were banging on his front door Thursday night and that he had to get a new phone number. 
 
 On Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and his wife were shouted out of a restaurant about a mile from the Senate building over Cruz’s unwavering support of Kavanaugh. ||||| CLOSE Women plea with Senator Flake to hear their concerns about confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh. USA TODAY 
 
 A woman who said she is a survivor of a sexual assault, right, confronts Republican Senator from Arizona Jeff Flake, left, in an elevator after Flake announced that he vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. (Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo, EPA-EFE) 
 
 A protester who said she was sexually assaulted approached Senator Jeff Flake in an elevator Friday after he released a statement saying he would be voting in favor of Brett Kavanaugh for a seat on the Supreme Court. 
 
 The unidentified woman could be heard shouting at Flake, R-Ariz., during a CNN live shot before the Senate Judiciary Committee moved toward a vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court Friday morning. Flake had previously been undecided. 
 
 "You're telling me that my assault doesn't matter," a woman, audibly emotional, can be heard telling Flake. 
 
 CLOSE A woman who identified herself as a sexual assault survivor told Senator Jeff Flake his vote for Kavanaugh means her voice "doesn't matter." USA TODAY cameras were at a protest the woman joined a day earlier. USA TODAY 
 
 Throughout the encounter, Flake is seen looking down, nodding his head and avoiding eye contact with the women. 
 
 "Don't look away from me," the woman can be heard saying. "Look at me and tell me that it doesn't matter what happened to me." 
 
 The woman continues to criticize Flake, saying he is allowing attackers to occupy positions of power. 
 
 "Thank you," Flake said. "I need to get to the hearing. You will hear more from me." 
 
 The Center for Popular Democracy later told USA TODAY the woman is Ana Maria Archila, co-executive of the liberal nonprofit advocacy group. 
 
 “Earlier this week, I shared my survivor story for the first time in front of Senator Jeff Flake’s office ... By announcing he will vote “yes” on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, Flake showed us that he does not care about our truths and does not care about women," Archila said in a statement. 
 
 In the hearing Friday, Flake said, “our system of justice affords a presumption of innocence to the accused, absent corroborating evidence. That is what binds us to the rule of law.” 
 
 The Republican-led committee announced it would vote on Kavanaugh by 1:30 p.m. ET and most of the panel's Democrats walked out in protest. 
 
 Women confront Sen. Jeff Flake after he says he'll vote yes to Kavanuagh: “That’s what you’re telling all women in America, that they don’t matter. They should just keep it to themselves because if they have told the truth you’re just going to help that man to power anyway.” pic.twitter.com/T7fSpyT69E — CNN (@CNN) September 28, 2018 
 
 If the committee approves the nomination, it would then go to the full Senate over the weekend, with a final up-or-down vote possible by Tuesday. 
 
 More: Tips for sexual assault survivors dealing with onslaught of triggering news 
 
 More: The Kavanaugh hearings triggering painful memories? How to mute sexual assault on Twitter 
 
 Thursday, Flake asked no questions during the emotional hearing. He spoke for only one minute and said little. 
 
 CLOSE Inspired by Christine Blasey Ford's testimony during Brett Kavanaugh's hearing, a C-SPAN caller shared her story of sexual assault for the first time since it happened in the 2nd grade. USA TODAY 
 
 Friday’s controversial vote on Kavanaugh follows allegations from Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges the nominee forced her onto a bed and tried to remove her clothes at a party when they were both high school teens. Kavanaugh denies the sexual assault and also denies ever being at the party. 
 
 More: The images that will define the emotional testimony by Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Ford 
 
 Ronald J. Hansen of the Arizona Republic and Richard Wolf and Christal Hayes of USA TODAY contributed to this story. 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2xSzz6m ||||| Judge Brett Kavanaugh picked up a key Republican vote shortly after a full GOP conference meeting immediately following Thursday’s hearing, one day before a key committee vote. Kavanaugh Confirmation GOP barrels toward Kavanaugh vote with key Republicans undecided The Senate Judiciary Committee is moving toward a Friday vote, and GOP leaders are planning to keep the chamber in session on Saturday. 
 
 Senate Republicans are racing to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, betting that the Supreme Court nominee was persuasive enough in his denial that he sexually assaulted a high school acquaintance to counter the powerful testimony of his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. 
 
 The Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to vote on Friday to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) then plans a Saturday procedural vote to formally move to the nomination, with a potential confirmation vote as early as Tuesday. 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 Publicly, Republicans do not have the votes yet to confirm Kavanaugh, but GOP leaders seem confident they can push him through with brute force. Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) wouldn’t say whether undecided Republicans would back Kavanaugh. They received a burst of momentum on Friday morning, when Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), one of the key swing votes, announced he would back Kavanaugh. 
 
 “We’re still talking through all those issues, and I’m optimistic we’ll get to confirmation,” Cornyn said as he left the Capitol. 
 
 Flake was agonizing over the decision, he said, and seemed to be vacillating on where would land, viewing both Kavanaugh and Ford as credible on Thursday. But he ultimately decided that without corroboration of the assault allegation, he could vote against Kavanaugh. 
 
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 “I left the hearing yesterday with as much doubt as certainty," Flake said in a statement. "What I do know is that our system of justice affords a presumption of innocence to the accused, absent corroborating evidence." 
 
 Kavanaugh also picked up a key Republican vote shortly after a full GOP conference meeting immediately following Kavanaugh’s hearing, as Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) announced he would support the nominee. Corker and Flake were key to applying the brakes to Kavanaugh’s confirmation in order to hear out Ford. 
 
 But Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) remain undecided. Those two moderate Republicans, along with Flake and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), met privately before the Republican meeting to discuss the nomination. Manchin said no one in the room gave anything away on how they will come down. 
 
 Then, in the full GOP conference meeting, Murkowski, Collins and Flake offered their colleagues no signal of where they would land, according to an attendee. Rachel Mitchell, a lawyer who was retained by the Senate GOP to question Ford, broke down her analysis of the testimony to Republicans, but did not advise them how to vote. She told them that as a prosecutor she would not charge Kavanaugh or even pursue a search warrant, according to a person briefed on the meeting. 
 
 poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201809/3185/1155968404_5841200902001_5841189784001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true 
 
 Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) would not say how he would vote as he left the meeting. Sasse, one of the most vocal Trump critics in the Senate, said Mitchell gave Republicans in the room a “30-ish minute” presentation during which she laid out “facts that were established and not established.” 
 
 Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) received three standing ovations from Republicans for how he conducted the hearing. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who skewered Democrats for what he called a “despicable” attempt to derail Kavanaugh’s nomination, also received applause from the GOP, said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.). 
 
 "There was an awful lot of exchange back and forth but it wasn't always positive,” Roberts said of the Republican gathering. 
 
 In addition to Manchin, Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota are viewed as potential votes for Kavanaugh. All are up for reelection in red states. Senators and aides expect that Donnelly, Manchin, Murkowski and Collins will all vote the same way, though which way that is remains unclear. 
 
 Democrats believe Heitkamp could vote no. But her opponent in her Senate race, Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), said he expects her to support the nominee despite Ford’s allegations. 
 
 Grassley declined to forecast how he thinks the critical Judiciary Committee meeting will go on Friday. “We’re meeting at 9:30 a.m., that’s all I can tell you,” he said. “There will be a debate starting at 9:30.” 
 
 His panel has 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats; only Flake's vote is in play. McConnell can bring Kavanaugh's nomination to the Senate floor regardless of whether he receives a favorable committee vote. 
 
 After the committee acts, McConnell is expected to move to a procedural vote on Saturday. If that's successful, another procedural vote would occur on Monday, and a final vote on Tuesday. 
 
 Kavanaugh needs at least 50 votes to be confirmed; Vice President Mike Pence would vote if the chamber is evenly split. If all Democrats vote against Kavanaugh, it would take two Republicans voting "no" to block his confirmation. 
 
 Rachael Bade, Sarah Ferris and Marianne Levine contributed to this report. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 / Updated By Adam Edelman 
 
 Democrats — as well as key Republican Sen. Jeff Flakeof Arizona — criticized President Donald Trump on Wednesday for repeatedly mocking Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers. 
 
 On NBC's "Today," Flake called Trump's remarks at a rally in Mississippi the night before "appalling." Flake sided with Democrats last week in seeking a one-week pause in the confirmation process to allow the FBI to investigate multiple claims of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. 
 
 "There’s no time and no place for remarks like that," Flake said Wednesday. "To discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right." 
 
 "I wish he hadn’t done it," added Flake, whose vote Senate Republicans will need to confirm Kavanaugh if all Democrats oppose the nomination. 
 
 Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who has not said publicly how she will vote on Kavanaugh, said Wednesday that "the president's comments were just plain wrong." 
 
 Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has also not said publicly how she plans to vote, called Trump's attack on Ford "absolutely wholly inappropriate." 
 
 When asked if it would affect her vote, she said, "I am taking everything into account. I think the president’s comments yesterday mocking Dr. Ford were wholly inappropriate and in my view unacceptable." 
 
 Democrats also spoke out against Trump's remarks on Tuesday night. 
 
 "Dr. Ford is a profile in courage," Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted after Trump spoke. "She knew what she was up against when she came forward but spoke out because she felt it was her civic duty. She deserves better." 
 
 Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told CNN that Trump's remarks were proof that "we can always count on the president to go down to the lowest common denominator." 
 
 "Mock people, call people names, attack them," she said. "This is what he does." 
 
 Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, said Trump "owes Dr. Ford an immediate apology." 
 
 Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said: "I thought his comments were disgraceful and shows that he has no empathy for survivors of sexual violence. It was just another statement by our president to show that he doesn’t value women, and I really was disgusted." 
 
 Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said the president's comments "made me feel sort of sick." 
 
 "I don't understand why he felt he had to do that," he told CNN's "New Day" on Wednesday. 
 
 "To turn around and turn her powerful testimony into a political rally punchline, I don't know what to say," added King, who caucuses with the Senate Democrats and who has said he will vote against Kavanaugh's confirmation. 
 
 Democratic candidates in closely watched races also slammed Trump for the comments. 
 
 Jacky Rosen, who is running against Republican Sen. Dean Heller in Nevada, tweeted that Ford "was courageous during her testimony. She’s been dignified throughout this process. She deserves our respect." 
 
 "Instead, President Trump is attacking her, mocking her, and making jokes about her experience," Rosen said. 
 
 Sexual assault awareness groups also weighed in. 
 
 The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network tweeted that it has "a whole page of tips about how to react when someone tells you that they’ve been sexually assaulted." 
 
 "Spoiler alert: mockery isn’t one of them," the group said. 
 
 New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a frequent Trump critic, tweeted that Ford "showed more courage in one day than" the president "has in his entire life." 
 
 Even anti-Trump celebrities made their anger known. 
 
 The cavalcade of criticism followed Trump’s one-man re-enactment of Ford's appearance before the Judiciary Committee, with his voice alternating between an impression of her and of her inquisitor. 
 
 "I had one beer!" Trump said Tuesday night at a rally in Southaven, Mississippi, characterizing Ford's testimony about her level of intoxication as a teenager when she says Kavanaugh attacked her at a small get-together in Montgomery County, Maryland, in the early 1980s. 
 
 "How did you get home?" the president asked, taking on the role of prosecutor. 
 
 "I don't remember," he said in his Ford voice. 
 
 "How did you get there?" Trump continued. 
 
 "I don't remember," he replied. 
 
 Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway defended Trump on Wednesday, saying Ford "has been treated like a Fabergé egg by all of us." 
 
 The president, with his mocking re-enactment of her testimony, was pointing out "memory gaps" and "factual inconsistencies," Conway told reporters outside the White House.
– Jeff Flake made big headlines Friday morning when he announced he would vote in favor of Brett Kavanaugh, making it all but certain the judge will be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the Republican senator from Arizona quickly learned that his decision had angered those who oppose Kavanaugh. A CNN camera captured the scene as two women confronted Kavanaugh in an elevator as he tried to make his way to a meeting of the committee. “What you are doing is al­low­ing some­one who ac­tu­al­ly vio­lat­ed a woman to sit in the Su­preme Court,” one woman told him. “This is hor­rible. You have chil­dren in your fam­i­ly. Think a­bout them.” See the video here. The other woman, who said she was a survivor of sexual abuse, then interjected: “You’re tell­ing all women that they don’t mat­ter—that they should just stay quiet be­cause if they tell you what hap­pened to them, you’re going to ig­nore them,” she said, reports the Washington Post. Flake didn't engage, saying, "Thank you," and explaining he needed to get to his meeting. “Look at me when I’m talk­ing to you!" said the woman, identified at USA Today as Ana Maria Archila, co-executive of the liberal advocacy group the Center for Popular Democracy. "You’re tell­ing me that my as­sault doesn’t mat­ter, that what hap­pened to me doesn’t mat­ter and that you’re going to let people who do these things into pow­er! That’s what you’re tell­ing me when you vote for him!"