and then, it will be time to vote. >> reporter: hallie, there's pushback on this appointment of rachel mitchell. i was talking to richard blumenthal. he said we can hire outside experts to ask questions and to come in and vote for us. it's their duty to ask the relevant questions constituents want. he sees it as republicans taking the easy way out. as to the vote on friday, that's a committee vote. we are keeping a close eye on the larger universe of republicans watching thursday's hearing very closely. i have been trying to talk to the folks who don't typically stop at the cameras and aren't the most outspoken. the sense i get is it may not be a lockdown vote yet. there are a lot more eyes on capitol hill watching than republican leadership would like to talk about publicly. i don't think it's as much of a