Sexual Assault Survivors Confront Jeff Flake On CNN: 'Don't Look Away From Me'

Two sexual assault survivors confronted Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on live TV Friday, shortly after the senator announced he would vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh .

Youre telling all women that they dont matter, said one woman between tears as Flake tried to leave in an elevator with his head down.

Look at me when Im talking to you! she shouted. Youre telling me that my assault doesnt matter.

Look at me and tell me that it doesnt matter what happened to me! the woman added. That youll let people like that go into the highest court in the land and tell everyone what they can do with their bodies.

Watch a clip of the exchange on CNN below:

Look at me when I'm talking to you. Youre telling me that my assault doesnt matter!\": Protesters confront Sen. Jeff Flake moments after he announces he will vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh. https://t.co/Cc5y9kura1 pic.twitter.com/qqvz3jx8JF

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Look at me when I'm talking to you. Youre telling me that my assault doesnt matter!": Protesters confront Sen. Jeff Flake moments after he announces he will vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh. https://t.co/Cc5y9kura1 pic.twitter.com/qqvz3jx8JF
CNN (@CNN) September 28, 2018

Another woman, Ana Maria Archila, said she believed Christine Blasey Ford, the psychology professor who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school, because Blaseys story was similar to her own experience.

What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit on the Supreme Court! she shouted at Flake. What are you doing, sir? This is the future of our country!

Archila is an executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, a progressive nonprofit group. She said in a statement after the confrontation that Flake claims to support civility but has proven he would rather ignore womens stories and support a disrespectful sexual abuser than stick to his values.

The Senate Judiciary Committee convened Friday morning for a vote on Kavanaugh.

Flake entered the hearing room frowning. The senator was previously one of a few whose voting plans were unclear following Thursdays testimonies from Kavanaugh and Blasey. He stood up for Blasey on the Senate floor and criticized a comment from President Donald Trump that cast doubt on her claim because the alleged incident occurred more than three decades ago.

I do not believe the claim of sexual assault is invalid because a 15-year-old girl didnt report the assault to authorities, as the president of the United States said just two days ago, Flake said Thursday. How uninformed and uncaring do we have to be to say things like that, much less believe them?

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Yet the senator said Friday in a statement that he ultimately decided to vote to confirm Kavanaugh because he had left the hearing the day before with as much doubt as certainty.

The vote is largely expected to fall along party lines.

A handful of Democrats Sens. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Kamala Harris (Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) and Patrick Leahy (Vt.) walked out of the committee after members moved to vote on Kavanaughs nomination Friday afternoon.