In an interview with The Atlantic's McKay Coppins, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said his decision to call for a one-week FBI investigation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was motivated by a desire to preserve the credibility of two institutions: the Supreme Court and the Senate.
The big picture: Flake is a conservative who still plans on voting for Kavanaugh if the FBI investigation doesn't turn up any new evidence. But he said that the Supreme Court is "the lone institution where most Americans still have some faith," and that confirming Kavanaugh without an investigation would risk damaging its long-term credibility.