WASHINGTON — US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman who accused him of a 1982 sexual assault will be called to testify in the Senate next Monday, complicating what had appeared to be a smooth confirmation process.

With Kavanaugh’s once-safe nomination for a lifetime job on the top US court now appearing in jeopardy, the conservative federal appeals court judge nominated by President Donald Trump had meetings at the White House earlier on Monday and called he assault allegation “completely false.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said the committee would hold a public hearing with Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, next Monday.

“As I said earlier, anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford has done deserves to be heard. My staff has reached out to Dr. Ford to hear her account, and they held a follow-up call with Judge Kavanaugh this afternoon,” Grassley said on Monday.

He added there would be a public hearing next Monday “to give these recent allegations a full airing.”

The move would delay a planned vote in the Judiciary Committee on Thursday to advance Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

The developments evoked memories of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ contentious confirmation hearings in 1991 involving sexual harassment allegations lodged against him by lawyer Anita Hill.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he wants to hold a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh before the Oct. 1 start of the Supreme Court’s new term. It was unclear whether that goal would have to be adjusted.

The White House appeared eager to resolve the matter quickly.

“Judge Kavanaugh looks forward to a hearing where he can clear his name of this false allegation. He stands ready to testify tomorrow if the Senate is ready to hear him,” the White House said before Grassley’s announcement.

Speaking to reporters at the Senate on Monday, Lindsey Graham, a senior Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said: “I’m a very fair-minded guy and I’m going to be fair to her (Ford) and I’m going to be fair to him (Kavanaugh). But I’m not going to look at one thing in this guy’s life,” Graham said of next Monday’s hearing.

Asked if it was possible for him to believe Ford’s story and still conclude that Kavanaugh was qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, Graham said: “I’d have a hard time putting somebody on the court that I thought tried to rape somebody.”

Democrats, already fiercely opposed to Kavanaugh, whose confirmation could consolidate the conservative grip on the top US court, had demanded a delay in the committee’s vote to let the FBI investigate.

The FBI said in statement on Monday night that last Wednesday it received a letter dated from July concerning the allegation, and forwarded it to the White House counsel. It added the alleged misconduct “does not involve any potential federal crime.”

Moderate Republicans also said Kavanaugh and Ford should be heard.

“Obviously, if Judge Kavanaugh has lied about what happened, that would be disqualifying,” Republican Senator Susan Collins told reporters before Grassley’s announcement, adding she would like the chance to observe Ford, the California university professor who made the allegation, to decide the credibility of her account. — Reuters