WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- In a crucial procedural vote along partisan lines, the U.S. Senate on Friday wrapped up the debate on the confirmation of the highly controversial Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, moving forward to the final floor vote.
The vote tally is 51-49, while the fate of full confirmation, which could be as early as Saturday, remains unclear.
Republican Senator Susan Collins, a potential key swing vote, said before the procedural vote that she will announce her final decision on Kavanaugh's confirmation on Friday afternoon.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, another swing vote, voted no in the procedural voting. She later called the cloture vote "a mistake."
"We will see what happens tomorrow," said Murkowski.
An FBI report sent to the Senate on Thursday said that based on its one-week supplemental background investigation, there is no corroboration of sexual misconduct allegations made against Kavanaugh. The Democrats have argued that the FBI probe was not thorough.
