US Senate braces for key vote on embattled court nominee

Protesters occupy the Hart Senate office building during a rally against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington on October 4, 2018. [AFP]

The US Senate girded Friday for a critical, too- close-to-call vote on moving ahead with the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, as Republicans brushed aside complaints by Democrats that a new FBI probe of sexual assault allegations against him was rushed and incomplete.

A final vote could come Saturday on President Donald Trump's embattled candidate, who if approved would seal a conservative majority on the nine-seat court for decades.