What will the FBI investigation into Kavanaugh actually do?
What did the FBI inquiry into Kavanaugh result in?
(about 17 hours later)
Now that President Donald Trump has ordered an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Brett Kavanaugh - his nominee for the Supreme Court - many are wondering about the work being conducted by investigators and what they are likely to ultimately conclude.
On 4 October, the FBI handed over its report on sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The findings are not for public eyes - but here's what we do know about it.
A full Senate vote on whether Mr Kavanaugh gets a seat on America's top court has been delayed for a week, while the FBI works.
Senators are taking turns reading the single copy of the report - which exists only on paper to prevent any leaks - in a secure room in the Capitol.
Investigators, the committee said, are "limited to current credible allegations" and must complete their assignment "no later than one week from today" [Friday 28 September].
The full Senate vote on whether Judge Kavanaugh gets a seat on America's top court was delayed while the FBI worked, and is now expected on Saturday.
So what exactly is the FBI doing?
Who did the FBI interview?
White House spokesman Raj Shah told CNN the FBI contacted 10 people and "comprehensively interviewed" nine of them.
Official sources told US media the review focused on the alleged incidents involving Prof Ford and second accuser Deborah Ramirez.
But federal agents reportedly did not look into the judge's drinking habits or the claims of his third accuser, Julie Swetnick.
Here's who the FBI has interviewed, according to statements from their lawyers:
Republican Senator Bob Corker said the report is 46 pages long, with nine pages focusing on Mark Judge.
But Democrats have criticised the narrow scope and time limitation of the FBI's inquiry - especially as neither the judge nor Prof Ford spoke with the FBI.
Senator Dianne Feinstein said what she saw of the report, it appeared to be "the product of an incomplete investigation".
A number of Judge Kavanaugh's former classmates have come forward since the hearings, willing to speak with the FBI about his behaviour in college, but so far, it appears they have not been interviewed.
Has the FBI has reached a definitive conclusion?
Not exactly.
As many have pointed out, the FBI files a report but does not reach any conclusion regarding the credibility or significance of allegations.
"They report any corroborating information that they obtain, or any contradicting information," former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told CNN, but added that "they do not make conclusions" in their reports.
Former FBI Assistant Director Steve Pomerantz told Fox News: "Hopefully they provide enough information within their reports that allow a reasonable person to reach a conclusion based on the work that they've done."
Because it is not a criminal inquiry, witnesses were not compelled to co-operate with the investigation, but lying to an FBI agent does carry the threat of federal charges.
Hasn't the FBI checked out Kavanaugh already?
Hasn't the FBI checked out Kavanaugh already?
Yes. The FBI has completed a traditional background check - provided to any federal appointee - on Judge Kavanaugh, who is currently an appeal court judge.
Yes. The FBI has completed a traditional background check - provided to any federal appointee - on Judge Kavanaugh, who is currently a District of Columbia appeals court judge.
In his confirmation hearing, the judge himself said he had been through "six separate FBI background investigations over 26 years".
In his confirmation hearing, the judicial nominee himself said he had been through "six separate FBI background investigations over 26 years". This was the seventh.
This new investigation will focus on the recent allegations of what agents call "derogatory information".
But typical FBI background checks never look back as far as 36 years ago, when Prof Ford says the assault took place.
Agents may review documents, speak to new witnesses, or revisit previous ones - including the judge and his main accuser, Prof Christine Blasey Ford, whom he denies sexually assaulting as a teenager in the 1980s.
Why did Trump order this FBI investigation?
But, they typically never look back as far as 36 years ago, when Prof Ford says the assault took place.
Mr Trump gave the order at the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee, after Arizona Republican Jeff Flake made such an inquiry his condition for backing the judge.
Lawyer Greg Rinckey told the Associated Press news agency that agents were normally looking for a "current problem", meaning any issue that has arisen in the past seven to 10 years.
The president's party has only a razor-thin 51-49 Senate majority. That means that if all Democrats vote against confirming Kavanaugh, he can only afford for one Republican to join them - since in a tie, Vice-President Mike Pence would get the casting vote.
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told Fox News that, according to FBI guidelines, investigators typically look back no further than 18 years.
One last thing... Why did this take under a week?
Who is being be interviewed?
The timing matters because Republicans are keen to get their Supreme Court nominee - who would serve for life - confirmed before the US mid-term elections on 6 November.
Democrats have been keen to hear more from Mark Judge, a boyhood friend of Judge Kavanaugh's, who Prof Ford said was in the room when she was assaulted.
And Democrats would profit from seeing that process delayed - or blocked altogether.
Mr Judge told the Senate Judiciary Committee in a written statement that he did not recall any such incident - but he was not asked to testify in person.
The FBI's 1991 investigation into then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas over sexual harassment allegations was open and shut in three days. He was subsequently confirmed by the Senate.
As of Wednesday, they had interviewed five people including Mr Judge, according to US media.
Neither Mr Kavanaugh nor Prof Ford have been interviewed by the FBI.
Four of those interviewed attended a 1 July 1982 event which was listed on a calendar that Mr Kavanaugh has produced to serve as his alibi.
Democrats also want agents to investigate allegations made by women other than Prof Ford, which are also denied by the judge.
They include a claim from his Yale classmate Deborah Ramirez, who alleges that he exposed his genitals in her face during a drinking game at a college party.
Ms Ramirez's lawyer confirmed she had a two hour interview with the FBI on Sunday, but later complained that agents had not bothered to contact 20 people who Ms Ramirez said were in the room when the alleged abuse occurred.
Another set of claims have been made by Julie Swetnick - a US government employee - alleging that Judge Kavanaugh was involved in the drugging and sexual assault of girls at house parties in the 1980s.
In an interview with NBC on Monday, Ms Swetnick said she remembered Judge Kavanaugh as a "very sloppy drunk, very mean drunk," who she saw often groping girls.
Will the FBI reach a definitive conclusion?
Not exactly. When the timeframe is up, the FBI will pass its findings to the White House - which will give them to the Senate. The contents are not expected to be made public.
As many senators and conservative commentators have pointed out, the FBI files a report but does not reach any conclusion regarding the credibility or significance of allegations.
"They could interview someone who says I saw Judge Kavanaugh get beamed down from a UFO - he's an alien," Mr Swecker told CNN.
"They wouldn't say 'we disproved this, [or] they didn't disprove this.'
"They report any corroborating information that they obtain, or any contradicting information," he said, but added that "they do not make conclusions" in their interview reports, which are known as 302 forms.
Former FBI Assistant Director Steve Pomerantz told Fox News: "Hopefully they provide enough information within their reports that allow a reasonable person to reach a conclusion based on the work that they've done.
"So it's simplistic to say they don't reach a conclusion."
Because it is not a criminal inquiry, witnesses are not compelled to co-operate with the investigation.
However, lying to an FBI agent does carry the threat of federal charges, as former Trump officials Paul Manafort or Michael Cohen could tell you.
Why did Trump order another investigation?
Mr Trump gave the order at the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee, after Arizona Republican Jeff Flake sensationally changed his mind about backing the judge.
His party has only a 51-49 Senate majority. That means that if all Democrats vote against confirming Kavanaugh, he can only afford for one Republican to join them - since in a tie, Vice-President Mike Pence would get the casting vote.
The Republican side can't afford to lose Senator Flake's vote - and a week-long FBI investigation clearly looked like a price worth paying.
Some observers believe the FBI inquiry will strengthen the resolve of uncertain Republican senators - because unless something dramatic is unearthed, they will feel more confident in rejecting Prof Ford's claims.
One last thing... Why only a week?
Prof Ford's lawyer, Debra Katz, said her client welcomed the FBI's involvement, but questioned the week-long time limit.
"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," she said.
The timing matters because Republicans are keen to get their Supreme Court nominee confirmed before the US mid-term elections on 6 November. And Democrats would profit from seeing that process delayed - or blocked altogether.
As a conservative, it is believed Mr Kavanaugh would swing America's top court to the right for years to come - which could have deep repercussions for social issues like abortion rights, and challenges to government policy.
That's especially the case as the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed for life.
So overall, there's a lot riding on the FBI over the few remaining days.
