An FBI background report into Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is due to be put before senators within hours amid reports it will conclude there is no evidence to corroborate a series of sexual assault allegations against him.
Senators will review the documents in a secure location on Thursday ahead of a likely vote on whether to confirm Mr Kavanaugh at the weekend.
Having examined interview reports contained within the investigation, the White House does not believe the probe incriminates the judge, according to a Wall Street Journal report. But the paper said it was not clear whether officials had read the full cache of reports.
The allegations against Mr Kavanaugh relate to his time at high school and college, and have delayed Mr Trump’s effort to elevate the conservative appeals court justice to the highest court in the land.
Senators must weigh the dramatic public testimony of one accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, against Mr Kavanaugh’s strenuous denials and the content of the FBI’s fresh background report. Following their cloistered review of the investigation they are not supposed to reveal its contents.
Majority leader Mitch McConnell began the voting process with a motion on Wednesday night setting up a Friday vote on whether to limit debate on Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination, and move forward to a vote on confirmation.
A simple majority of 51 votes will be needed for Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination to advance. A final vote could come on Saturday with Republicans clinging to a 51-49 majority and five senators, including three Republicans, still vacillating.
It came as Dr Ford’s lawyers said the fresh FBI probe did not include interviews with the California professor or the witnesses they say corroborate her testimony. They said they were “profoundly disappointed” that those directing the probe “were not interested in seeking the truth”.
Dianne Feinstein, the leading Democrat on the senate’s judiciary committee, added that failing to interview either Mr Kavanaugh or Dr Ford “raises serious concerns that this is not a credible investigation”.
A report by Time suggested that the FBI believed it lacked clear authority from the White House to conduct those interviews, however.
Additional reporting by agencies
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