US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman who accused him of a 1982 sexual assault will be called to testify in the Senate next week, complicating what had appeared to be a smooth confirmation process.
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With Kavanaugh's once-safe nomination for a lifetime job on the top US court now appearing in jeopardy, the conservative federal appeals court judge nominated by President Donald Trump had meetings at the White House on Monday and called the assault allegation "completely false."
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said the committee would hold a public hearing with Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, next Monday.
The move would delay a planned vote in the Judiciary Committee on Thursday to advance Kavanaugh's confirmation.
The developments evoked memories of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' contentious confirmation hearings in 1991 involving sexual harassment allegations lodged against him by lawyer Anita Hill.
The White House appeared eager to resolve the matter quickly.
"Judge Kavanaugh looks forward to a hearing where he can clear his name of this false allegation. He stands ready to testify tomorrow if the Senate is ready to hear him," the White House said.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he wants to hold a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh before the October 1 start of the Supreme Court's new term.
Democrats, already fiercely opposed to Kavanaugh, whose confirmation could consolidate the conservative grip on the top US court, had demanded a delay in the committee's vote to let the FBI investigate.
Republicans control the Senate by only a narrow margin, meaning any defections could sink the nomination and deal a major setback to Trump, who has been engaged in a so-far successful effort since becoming president last year to move the Supreme Court and broader federal judiciary to the right.
In careful remarks at the White House in which he did not offer his view on the actual allegation against his nominee, Trump called for the Senate to go through a "full process" and accepted a small delay, although warning that "it shouldn't certainly be very much."
The confirmation fight comes just weeks before the November 6 congressional elections in which Democrats are seeking to take control of Congress from Trump's party and work to stymie the president's agenda.
Ford has accused Kavanaugh of trying to attack her and remove her clothing while he was drunk 36 years ago in a Maryland suburb outside Washington when they were students at different high schools.
Ford detailed her story in a letter sent to Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein in July. The letter's contents leaked last week and Ford identified herself in an interview with the Washington Post on Sunday.
In television interviews on Monday, Ford's Washington-based lawyer, Debra Katz, said her client would be willing to speak out publicly.
"I have never done anything like what the accuser describes - to her or to anyone," Kavanaugh said in a statement issued by the White House, his first comment since Ford's identity was revealed on Sunday.
Australian Associated Press
