Brett Kavanaugh investigation: Senator Susan Collins returns to review FBI report as protests rage against Supreme Court nominee
Trump administration 'confident' Senate will back nominee — but some swing vote senators have yet to tell what they plan on doing
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Your support makes all the difference.Senators are reviewing the FBI’s latest background check on Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, in a secret Capitol Hill location.
They are expected to vote on Friday on whether to move forward swiftly on Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination to a likely confirmation vote at the weekend.
White House spokesman Raj Shah said senators “have been given ample time to review this seventh background investigation” into Mr Kavanaugh, who denies accusations of sexual misconduct when he was in high school and college. The White House was “confident the Senate will vote to confirm” the judge, he added.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley tweeted early Thursday that he had received the FBI file. He and his colleagues began reviewing the documents on Thursday morning.
Republicans agreed to ask the FBI for an additional background check on Mr Kavanaugh after his first accuser, Dr Christine Blasey Ford, testified last week that he had sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted to move the nomination to the full Senate but had asked that the FBI investigation be conducted.
Dr Ford’s attorneys have said she was not contacted for an interview. But the FBI spoke to a second woman, Deborah Ramirez, who claims Mr Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when they were in college. Mr Kavanaugh says that accusation is false.
Senator Jeff Flake, another key Republican vote, has weighed in following the release of the FBI investigation to senators. He appears to be prepared to vote in favour of the nominee.
With support from Senator Susan Collins and Mr Flake, Mr Kavanaugh is all but assured to have the votes to become the next Supreme Court justice of the United States.
Politicians outside of Washington have weighed in on the FBI investigation into allegations against Mr Kavanaugh.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo — who has consistently cast himself as a foil of Mr Trump — has called for the public release of the report, which is currently only available to senators.
↵Dr Ford's lawyer has weighed in to criticise the FBI's investigation, saying that there are many witnesses who were not interviewed but could have collaborated claims against Mr Kavanaugh
Underscoring the massive effort that has been put in to lobbying both for and against Mr Kavanaugh's confirmation, the ACLU has posted a video showing that 100 women flew from Alaska to try and convince their senator, Lisa Murkowski, to vote against the nominee.
Ms Murkowski has been seen as a key vote for Republicans to confirm Mr Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Senate Republicans have announced that they will hold a press conference on Mr Kavanaugh's nomination at 2.15 EDT.
Key Republicans have so far indicated that they are content with the FBI investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct that have come out during the judge's confirmation process.
Throngs of people are outside of the Supreme Court right now protesting Mr Kavanaugh.
Republicans were slated to give a press conference on the nomination at 2.15pm EDT, but had pushed back the conference.
Senator Mitch McConnell is speaking during the Republican press conference.
He says that the FBI report did not corroborate accusations against Mr Kavanaugh of sexual assault, and suggested that Democrats would not have been satisfied with any level of investigation.
Up next is Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, who said he feels "very good about where this nomination is right now".
He says that Mr Kavanaugh's judicial history is impeccable.
"This person is very well qualified. A person who believes int he principles of due process, the presumption of innocence," Mr Grassley said of Mr Kavanaugh.
He urged the Senate to confirm Mr Kavanaugh on Saturday.
Mr Grassley has once again criticised Democrats for their efforts to derail Mr Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court.
He has defended the confirmation process, and said that Republicans gave Dr Ford every forum possible to air her allegations.
"Hopefully we're 48 hours away from having a new person on the Supreme Court," he said.
Senator Orrin Hatch now says that he is "disappointed" in Democrats, and that he is grateful for the FBI investigation into allegations against Mr Kavanaugh.
"We have found nothing, absolutely nothing, to corroborate accusations against [Mr Kavanaugh], and we need to confirm him right away," Mr Hatch said of the investigations by the Senate and FBI into sexual misconduct allegations.
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