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This is what President Donald Trump said about Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation

With 50 senators voting "yes" and 48 senators voting "no," Kavanaugh was confirmed with a nearly party-line vote.

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court on Saturday.

With 50 senators voting “yes” and 48 senators voting “no,” Kavanaugh was confirmed with a nearly party-line vote and one of the narrowest margins ever. His confirmation will tilt the Supreme Court further toward conservatives potentially for decades to come.

Shortly after the vote, President Donald Trump tweeted, showing his support.

"I applaud and congratulate the U.S. Senate for confirming our GREAT NOMINEE, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, to the United States Supreme Court," he tweeted. "Later today, I will sign his Commission of Appointment, and he will be officially sworn in. Very exciting!"

For weeks, Kavanaugh's future has hung in the balance during hours of hearings, FBI investigations and sexual assault allegations, which he has denied. The remarkable and ugly set of twists and turns over the weeks all ended at the doorsteps of a handful of key senators.

Senators Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, waited until Friday to announce how they would vote. By the end of the day, there was a slim, 51-49 vote tally in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation.

Collins' dramatic decision, laid out in a nearly 45-minute speech on the Senate floor Friday, pushed Republicans over the edge and became a turning point for Kavanaugh.

"It is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy," she said. "I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh."

Murkowski, the only Republican who voted against Kavanaugh in a procedural vote Friday, voted “present” as a collegial gesture for her Republican colleague Sen. Steve Daines, who supports Kavanaugh but is attending his daughter's wedding Saturday.

Throughout the day Saturday, hundreds of protesters — many dressed in black garb — descended on the east steps of the Capitol. Many held signs and sat down until police began making widespread arrests.

They held signs reading "Kava Nope" and "Shame, Collins," the latter a reference to the announcement by Collins that she planned to vote in support of the controversial Kavanaugh. Many of the defiant protesters said they felt powerless but swore next month's midterms would change that.

The Kavanaugh vote may be a pivotal moment in the Nov. 6 midterm elections, where control of Congress is up for grabs. A large reason Republicans voted for Trump was to put conservatives on the court. But energized Democrats and a "blue wave" could help them take the majority.

Contributing: Richard Wolf, Eliza Collins, Deborah Berry, Maureen Groppe, John Fritze, David Jackson

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