Senate Judiciary to probe Kavanaugh accusation in public hearing

Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testifies during the third day of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 6, 2018. REUTERS/Alex Wroblewski/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Judiciary Committee will reopen its hearings on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court following allegations of sexual misconduct that he has denied, Republican Senator John Thune said on Monday. "The Judiciary Committee is going to move forward with a process and that process will include an open, public hearing, an opportunity for people to ask questions. Hopefully we'll have a full understanding of what happened," said Thune, a member of Senate Republican leadership. Thune, who did not give a date for the hearing, said he assumed Kavanaugh and his accuser Christine Blasey Ford would testify. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Tom Brown)