Key swing vote Sen. Lisa Murkowski didn't decide how to vote on Kavanaugh until she walked onto the Senate floor, says 'he's not the right man for the court at this time'

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, arrives for a hearing, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

• Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she didn't decide to vote against advancing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh until she reached the Senate chambers on Friday.
• Murkowski broke with her party as the only of four key swing votes to vote no on advancing his nomination to the confirmation vote.
• Kavanaugh's final confirmation vote is set for Saturday afternoon.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski told reporters on Friday that she didn't decide to vote against advancing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation until she reached the Senate chambers that morning.

Murkowski broke with her party as the only one of four key swing votes who voted against advancing Kavanaugh's confirmation, which she said was an effort to uphold the ideal of a fair confirmation process for justices.

"I have been wrestling to really try to know what is fair and what is right," Murkowski said. "And the truth is that none of this has been fair."

The Alaskan senator further specified that the vote wasn't a personal rebuke of the embattled Kavanaugh, who she said she believes is a "good man."

However, Murkowski continued: "In my view he's not the right man for the court at this time."

Conservative commentators hit back against Murkowski's vote, with Fox News host Laura Ingraham saying the "disgraceful" decision "abandoned all principles of due process and fairness."

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin was the only Democrat to vote in favor of advancing the nomination. Sen. Jeff Flake, another conservative swing vote, said Friday that he would ultimately vote yes on Kavanaugh's confirmation. Republican Sen. Susan Collins is expected to announce her vote Friday afternoon.

With a 51-49 hold on the Senate, Republicans can only afford to lose one vote in the final confirmation tally that's set for Saturday afternoon.