[Published: Tuesday September 18 2018]
 Trump Supreme Court nominee and accuser to testify in Senate
WASHINGTON 18 Sep (ANA) - The Senate has scheduled a public hearing on a sex assault claim against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh for next week.
Judge Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who says he attacked her more than three decades ago, will both be able to testify.
US President Donald Trump said earlier he expected "a little delay" to confirming his nominee.
Judge Kavanaugh, 53, says the allegation is "completely false".
He denies he was even at the 1982 high school party in question where his accuser, now a psychology professor in California, says he tried to rape her as his friend watched.
The claim has jeopardised Judge Kavanaugh's formerly all-but certain-nomination for a lifetime job on the Supreme Court.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley confirmed next Monday's hearing in a statement.
"As I said earlier, anyone who comes forward as Dr Ford has done deserves to be heard," said the Iowa Republican.
Mr Grassley had earlier stopped short of calling for a public hearing, or for delaying the committee's vote on the nominee.
The judge last week finished four days of hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and a vote on his confirmation had been planned for Thursday of this week.
But Democrats demanded a delay in the vote in order to let the FBI investigate.
Mr Grassley said the standard procedure would be for committee members to conduct telephone calls with both witnesses about their forthcoming testimony.
But in a statement, the panel's Democrats refused to join in any phone call with Judge Kavanaugh.(ANA)
FA/ANA/18 September 2018--------
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