US President Donald Trump has directed the FBI to launch a supplemental investigation into his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Mr Trump said 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 Mr Kavanaugh had already been vetted.
Statement from President @realDonaldTrump:“I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file. As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.”
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) September 28, 2018
Mr Kavanaugh has adamantly denied the allegations.
Senate Republican leaders agreed on Friday to delay a final vote on Mr Kavanaugh to allow time for an investigation by the FBI at the request of senator Jeff Flake.
Mr Kavanaugh says he has done “everything” the Senate has asked of him and “will continue to co-operate”.
