Washington: US President Donald Trump has ordered an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against his US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, throwing his confirmation into doubt. A Senate committee voted on Friday to approve Kavanaugh’s nomination to the top US court. But a Republican member only backed the move on the understanding that such an inquiry would occur, the US media reported. As a result, a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation has been delayed for up to a week. He has been accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology in California, in 1980s.
“I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file,” Trump said in a statement. “As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.” Trump’s announcement followed a letter from the Senate judiciary panel seeking an expedited probe of the allegations pursuant to a bipartisan agreement to put off a vote on the nomination.
According to CNN, the developments mean the full Senate will not vote early next week, as expected. Members voted on Friday night to formally open consideration of Kavanaugh’s nomination, a procedural move allowing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to keep his options open.
Woman says senator raped her in 2007
A woman has accused a Washington state lawmaker of raping her 11 years ago, saying she was inspired to speak out as she watched the televised allegations against Kavanaugh. The lawmaker denied the claim. In a tweet, Candace Faber said Republican state Sen Joe Fain sexually assaulted her in 2007 the night she graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. “I’m done being silent,” she wrote. Fain said he “absolutely” denies the allegation and called for an investigation.