Brett Kavanaugh investigation: Senator Susan Collins returns to review FBI report as protests rage against Supreme Court nominee

The Independent will be providing live updates on the latest in the confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court.

The White House says it has received the FBI's fresh background check on the nominee and has made a copy available for senators.

Senators can review the documents in a secret Capitol Hill location.

The White House has claimed it found nothing in the interview records contained in the FBI's report that corroborates claims of sexual assault against Mr Kavanaugh, according to reports in US media.

Mr Kavanaugh has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

Senate judiciary committee chairman Chuck Grassley said early on Thursday that he had received the Kavanaugh FBI report.

He tweeted: "Supplemental FBI background file for Judge Kavanaugh has been received."

The White House said senators had "ample time" to review the report and vote on Mr Kavanaugh.

The Independent has been covering all the twists and turns in the Kavanaugh nomination process.

Donald Trump has angered several key Republicans whose votes he needs to confirm Mr Kavanaugh by mocking the judge's accuser at a campaign rally.

How do senators go about reading the secret FBI documents?

All 100 senators and a few senior aides are permitted to view them, but it is not clear whether the latest investigation into Brett Kavanaugh will be made public.

Background checks are a normal part of the nomination process but this one was requested specifically by senators who have not decided whether they will vote to confirm Mr Kavanaugh.

It takes in the claims of Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses the nominee of sexual assault, and Deborah Ramirez, who says Mr Kavanaugh exposed himself to her.

To accommodate the senators, and to guard the sensitive information, the FBI's report is expected to be held in a secure room normally reserved only for classified matters.

There are several of these rooms in the Capitol complex, but senators usually use one in the basement of the Capitol Visitor Centre. The rooms are called SKIFs, or Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities.

Chuck Grassley, the senate judiciary committee chairman, is expected to read it first, followed by his colleagues either individually or possibly in groups. 

According to a preliminary schedule, Republicans will read the first hour, starting Thursday morning, and Democrats will read the hour after that, according to a person who was briefed on the plan. The person was not authorised to release the information and requested anonymity. 

There are nine staff members – both Republicans and Democrats – who have access to the report and can brief members who do not want to read it in detail. 

No copies will be made of the report – a standard measure – so senators will have to go to the room to learn its contents. And because the report is confidential, they will be expected not to repeat what they learn. 

"None of that stuff's public," Mr Grassley told reporters on Wednesday. "If you want people to be candid when they talk to the FBI, you ain't going to make that public."

Additional reporting by AP

Another Republican senator has attacked Donald Trump following his decision to mock Christine Blasey Ford, one of Mr Kavanaugh's accusers.

Ben Sasse, of Nevada, said the president was unfit to lead a country riven by tensions over the nomination and other issues.

Hailing the Me Too movement as "very important", he also said the vote on whether or not to confirm Mr Kavanaugh was not a "binary choice" proxy on whether "we do or don't care about women".

Donald Trump has weighed in with his first tweet of the day, saying Mr Kavanaugh has been treated unfairly by politicians.

He backs the judge's claim that the allegations against him are a political conspiracy.

Chris Coons, a Democratic senator, said "vital witnesses" had not been questioned for the FBI report.

In an interview with CNN he also said his fellow senators needed to consider whether Mr Kavanaugh was truthful during his testimony.

"I think we should have, as President Trump said we would, an open, week-long investigation by the FBI where they would be allowed to follow all investigatory leads on the credible allegations against Judge Kavanaugh," he said.

"I'm concerned that if they never interviewed Dr Christine Blasey Ford or her corroborating witnesses, if they never interviewed many of Judge Kavanaugh's classmates at Yale who came forward to be heard about the alleged incident with Debbie Ramirez, then this isn't the investigation I was hoping for.

"But I won't pre-judge it, I haven't seen it yet."

The White House has admitted they did not investigate Brett Kavanaugh's alleged excessive drinking at college, something he repeatedly denied while under oath. 

Read more about what the White House said here: