BRETT Kavanaugh cleared a key hurdle in his bid to sit on the Supreme Court as a US Senate committee voted to approve his nomination.
But his confirmation still remains uncertain as Republican leaders agreed to ask for a new FBI probe into sexual assault allegations facing the judge.
Jeff Flake, the senior Senator from Arizona, supported the vote to pass the nomination from the Judiciary Committee to the full Senate.
After dramatic last-minute negotiations, though, the key Republican senator said he wanted a week’s delay in confirmation hearings for Judge Kavanaugh to enable the investigation to happen.
Mr Flake said he would not support his confirmation without this. The final vote went ahead and was 11-10.
It came after testimony from Christine Blasey Ford – a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University in California – transfixed the United States, as she claimed Judge Kavanuagh sexually assaulted her in the 1980s when they were teenagers.
Ms Ford said the attack was burned in her memory and she was “100%” certain that it was Judge Kavanaugh who attacked her.
He also testified on Thursday, furiously denying he had ever assaulted her or anyone else. He also accused Democrats of politicising the process and said that his family and his name “have been totally and permanently destroyed”.
President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Kavanaugh for a vacancy on the Supreme Court, the body that has the final word on key issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.
If he succeeds, his appointment could shift the balance in favour of conservatives for years to come. Judges are appointed for life, and as he is relatively young at 53, he could serve for decades.
Mr Trump yesterday said the hearing was an incredible moment in the history of the country and called Ms Ford a “very credible witness”.
“I just want it to work out well for the country. If that happens, I’m happy,” he added.
He continued to support Mr Kavanaugh, saying he had not thought “even a little bit” about a replacement.
Last night, the President officially ordered the FBI to conduct a “supplemental investigation” into the allegation, saying the probe “must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.”
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