Flake In NH: Kavanaugh Hearings Marred By Tribal Politics

GOFFSTOWN, NH -- Last week's Senate hearings on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh represented tribal politics at its worst, Senator Jeff Flake said during a speech in New Hampshire Monday. Flake, a Republican from Arizona mentioned as a potential primary challenger to President Trump in 2020, traveled to the the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College for a speech titled, "After the Deluge: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle."

"There is a sickness in our system," said Flake, a centrist. "Tribalism is ruining us … It’s not a way for sane adults to act."

Flake, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was in the crosshairs of Democrats and Republicans during the Kavanaugh hearings. He said he was met with "rage from all sides" after telling the committee to keep an open mind when hearing testimony from both Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers.

"The left was enraged because I had to failed to behave exactly as they wanted me to behave," Flake said. "They wanted me to prejudice the testimony against Brett Kavanaugh. The right was enraged because I had similarly failed to prejudice the testimony against Christine Ford. I had failed my tribe. I've been failing my tribe for some time now ... I hope to continue to fail my tribe."

Flake is retiring from his Senate seat this year. He told MSNBC this week he has no plans to run for president but believes someone should step up to challenge Trump in 2020.

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