Trump orders FBI probe into Kavanaugh, Senate vote delayed
Washington, Sep 29: US President Donald Trump has ordered an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against his US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, throwing his confirmation into doubt.
A Senate committee voted on Friday to approve Kavanaugh's nomination to the top US court. But a Republican member only backed the move on the understanding that such an inquiry would occur, the US media reported.
As a result, a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation has been delayed for up to a week. He has been accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology in California, in 1980s.
"I've ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh's file," Trump said in a statement. "As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week."
Trump's announcement followed a letter from the Senate judiciary panel seeking an expedited probe of the allegations pursuant to a bipartisan agreement to put off a vote on the nomination.
According to CNN, the developments mean that the full Senate will not vote early next week, as expected. Members voted on Friday night to formally open consideration of Kavanaugh's nomination, a procedural move allowing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to keep his options open.
The delay was the result of a last-minute change of heart by Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, whose move to force an investigation was quickly backed by several senators considered swing votes on Kavanaugh's confirmation.
Flake made the demand for the Federal Bureau of Investigation probe after a chaotic scene at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting in which the panel advanced Kavanaugh by a 11-10 party line vote -- saying his vote was conditioned on a probe taking place, and that he would oppose Kavanaugh on the floor of the Senate unless his demand was met.
The judiciary committee officially requested the FBI investigation, saying it should probe current "credible allegations" against Kavanaugh. Republicans said it would be up to the FBI to decide what allegations were considered credible.
It was Flake, Alaska GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski and Maine GOP Senator Susan Collins who set the terms of the investigation, CNN said.
Kavanaugh, who denies all allegations against him, said that he would "continue to cooperate" with the FBI. He accused Democrats of politicising the process and harming his family and good name.
Three women, including Ford, have accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting them several decades ago.
Ford appeared at a judiciary committee hearing on Thursday to testify that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her in 1982 when both were teenagers.
Ford's lawyer Debra Katz welcomed the decision of calling for the probe but questioned the time limit of a week. "A thorough FBI investigation is critical to developing all the relevant facts... No artificial limits as to time or scope should be imposed on this investigation."
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After fake ID crackdown, IRCTC daily new accounts down to 5000 from one lakh: Railways
New Delhi (PTI): With a new, stringent system to establish user identity, the number of new user IDs being added daily on the IRCTC website has declined to about 5,000 from nearly one lakh, officials said on Saturday.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that the crackdown by Indian Railways on train ticket booking through fake identities is yielding positive results, according to a press note.
Before the latest reforms, this number had touched nearly one lakh new user IDs per day, it said.
"Following the introduction of a stringent system to establish user identity and detect fake IDs, about 5,000 new user IDs are now being added daily on the IRCTC website," the note said.
The officials stated that these steps have already helped Indian Railways deactivate 3.03 crore fake accounts.
"Another 2.7 crore user IDs have either been temporarily suspended or identified for suspension based on the suspicious activities they are indulging in," they said.
The Union minister directed officials to ensure that the ticketing system is reformed to a level where all travellers are able to book tickets easily through a real and genuine user ID, the press note added.
Additionally, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials to provide local cuisine of the region in Vande Bharat trains.
Introducing local cuisine that reflects the culture and tastes of the regions being traversed will significantly enhance the passenger experience, officials said.
This facility will be expanded to all the trains progressively in future, they added.
