Senate panel backs Trump’s Supreme Court pick Kavanaugh

WASHINGTON: The US Senate Judiciary Committee approved Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court, on Friday, one day after he fought off allegations of sexual assault at a dramatic day-long public hearing. The panel split along strict party lines with the 11 Republican members backing Kavanaugh and all 10 Democrats voting against the president’s controversial nominee. The nomination of the 53-year-old conservative judge will now go to the full Senate, where Republicans hold a slim 51-49 majority. In a last-minute move, Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona asked for a delay of up to a week before the full vote takes place to allow for an FBI investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh.