Senate panel votes to advance Kavanaugh, but final vote will be delayed

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is directing the FBI to launch a supplemental investigation into his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Trump says in a statement that the updated investigation, which comes in response to sexual misconduct allegations, "must be limited in scope" and "completed in less than one week."

The decision marks a reversal for the administration, which had argued that Kavanaugh had already been vetted.

Kavanaugh has adamantly denied the allegations.

Senate Republican leaders agreed Friday to delay a final vote on Kavanaugh to allow time for an investigation by the FBI at the request of Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake.

Kavanaugh says he's done "everything" the Senate has asked of him and "will continue to cooperate."

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5 p.m.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh says in a statement released by the White House that he "will continue to cooperate" after senators asked President Donald Trump to open a supplemental background investigation of the embattled Supreme Court nominee.

Kavanaugh says he's been interviewed by the FBI during his confirmation process and conducted "background" calls with the Senate. He says he answered questions under oath Thursday "about every topic the Senators and their counsel asked me."

Kavanaugh says, "I've done everything they have requested and will continue to cooperate."

Trump is ordering the new FBI probe of Kavanaugh, saying it must be "limited in scope" and last no longer than a week.

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4:40 p.m.

Two Republican senators who could be the deciding votes on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh are endorsing a FBI background investigation into the sexual misconduct accusations against him.

Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters they support a deal reached among senators to delay a vote on Kavanaugh.

Collins says the deal "is an important development and I believe it will let us go forward."

Murkowski says she wants to make sure senators "do our due diligence."

President Donald Trump will have to ask the FBI for the investigation into Kavanaugh. The Senate Judiciary Committee said the probe should be limited to "current credible allegations against the nominee" and be finished by Oct. 5.

Kavanaugh denies the allegations.

Both Collins and Murkowski are undecided on whether to vote for Kavanaugh.

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After a dramatic flurry of last-minute negotiations, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh cleared a key procedural hurdle Friday, but his confirmation prospects were still deeply uncertain after a Republican senator called for a new FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations.

It was unclear whether Republican leaders or the White House would back Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake's request for further investigation or instead would press forward with a full Senate vote on the nomination. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell huddled with GOP senators in his office to discuss next steps.

President Donald Trump, who has accused the Democrats of obstruction and opposed the FBI probing the allegations against his nominee, said merely that he would "let the Senate handle that." In fact, it's the White House that would have to ask the FBI to investigate.

Friday's developments unfolded a day after Kavanaugh and an accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, testified in an emotional, hours-long hearing that was televised nationwide. Kavanaugh angrily denied the allegation that he assaulted Ford while they were both in high school, but she said she was "100 percent" certain he was her attacker.

Flake, a key moderate Republican, was at the center of Friday's drama and uncertainty. In the morning, he announced that he would support Kavanaugh's nomination. Shortly after, he was confronted in an elevator by two women who, through tears, implored him to change his mind. The stunning confrontation was captured by television cameras.

After huddling privately with his colleagues, Flake announced he would vote to advance Kavanaugh's nomination to the full Senate only if the FBI were to investigate the allegations against the judge. Democrats have been calling for such an probe, though Republicans and the White House have insisted it's unnecessary.

The committee vote was 11-10 along party lines.

Flake said that after discussing the matter with fellow senators, he felt it "would be proper to delay the floor vote for up to but not more than one week."

Attention quickly turned to a handful of undecided senators. West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he supported Flake's call to push off a full Senate vote until the FBI investigates Ford's allegation. He said the probe should happen "so that our country can have confidence in the outcome of this vote."

It was unclear if Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska would do the same.

With a 51-49 majority, Senate Republicans have little margin for error on a final vote, especially given the fact that several Democrats facing tough re-election prospects this fall announced their opposition to Kavanaugh on Friday. Sens. Bill Nelson of Florida, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Jon Tester of Montana all said they would vote no.

During Thursday's hearing, Democrats repeatedly peppered Kavanaugh with questions about whether he would support an FBI investigation. He demurred, saying he would back whatever the committee decided to do.

The FBI conducts background checks for federal nominees, but the agency does not make judgments on the credibility or significance of allegations. It compiles information about the nominee's past and provides its findings to the White House, which passes them along to the committee. Republicans say reopening the FBI investigation is unnecessary because committee members have had the opportunity to question both Kavanaugh and Ford and other potential witnesses have submitted sworn statements.

If the FBI does reopen the background investigation, agents could interview accusers and witnesses and gather additional evidence or details that could help corroborate or disprove the allegations.

Democrats have been particularly focused on getting more information from Mark Judge, a high school friend of Kavanaugh who Ford said was also in the room during her alleged assault. In her gripping testimony, Ford said Kavanaugh and Judge's laughter during the incident has stuck with her nearly four decades later.

Judge has said he does not recall any such incident. In a new letter from his lawyer, he said he will cooperate with any law enforcement agency assigned to investigate "confidentially."

Flake, the 55-year-old Arizonan, has made himself a central character in the drama. As a retiring Republican, with no public plans to face GOP voters soon, Flake has emerged this year as a vocal and biting Trump critic and an advocate for bipartisan cooperation in Washington, even has he largely votes with his party.

Flake's post on the committee has given him another platform. In recent weeks, he's acted as a committee liaison to the Democrats and moderates Republicans urging a slower process. Last weekend, he pushed the committee to give Ford more time to decide whether to testify. Democrats have been eyeing him as a possible "no" vote, leaving many surprised to see him announce Friday morning that he backed the judge. He made clear hours later his vote wasn't yet secure.