It’s been five days since Republican Sen. Jeff Flake called for an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh, U.S. President Donald Trump‘s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Senate gave the FBI a week to probe the claims, which included Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in a bedroom at a gathering when they were in their teens.
Coverage of Brett Kavanaugh on Globalnews.ca:
What happens next, as the investigation approaches its final allotted day? A few clues emerged Wednesday night.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture, a move that edges the Senate toward a vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation, according to CNN.
Cloture is a process through which the Senate can end debate without dismissing a measure or a piece of legislation.
READ MORE: Trump mocks Christine Blasey Ford at MAGA rally as supporters laugh
In this case, McConnell is using it so that the Senate can vote to end debate on Kavanaugh’s nomination, the network added — and the Republicans have enough seats to make that happen.
They’re expected to vote on Friday.
Should that vote pass, the Senate will have 30 hours of debate before members vote on confirming Kavanaugh, an event that could come on Saturday, according to NBC News.
Also on Wednesday, McConnell said the Senate was set to receive the “results of a supplemental background investigation” into the Kavanaugh matter, CNN reported.
The White House had approved on the very same day an additional supplemental background report from the FBI after it was requested by Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, according to NBC.
That report is expected to contain the “302” forms of interviews that the FBI conducted — those are documents that summarize the bureau’s interviews as part of the investigation.
READ MORE: Kavanaugh FBI report heading to U.S. Senate — source
The contents of that report are expected to be disclosed to all senators on Thursday, along with 10 staffers who work with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley will see the report first on Thursday morning, followed by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein an hour later, unnamed sources told NBC.
Republican committee members will look at the report one hour after her, and then Democrat members an hour after them.
The FBI report comes amid concern over the scope of its investigation.
Neither Kavanaugh nor Ford were interviewed as part of the probe, according to the latter’s lawyers.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said both were already questioned “in the most public way possible by members of the Senate who are ultimately the ones who have to make the determination on whether or not they will vote for Judge Kavanaugh.”