Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake tells Politico and The Washington Post in interviews Sunday that the closely divided committee needs to hear from Kavanaugh's accuser, Christine Blasey Ford.

Ford told her story to The Washington Post in a piece published Sunday. Kavanaugh denies her allegations.

Flake is one of 11 Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, which has scheduled a Thursday vote on Kavanaugh's nomination.

But the nomination's prospects would become complicated without Flake's support, given that the 10 Democrats on the panel oppose his nomination.

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6:55 p.m.

The GOP chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wants to set up a call with the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of  misconduct and the top Republican and Democratic members of the panel.

A spokesman says Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is "actively working" to set up a call with the woman and with Kavanaugh ahead of Thursday's scheduled committee vote.

Spokesman Taylor Foy says Grassley and the panel's top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, routinely hold such "bipartisan staff calls" when updates are made to a nominee's background file.

The FBI last week updated Kavanaugh's file after the allegation from his high school years was made public.

The woman, Christine Blasey Ford, has since discussed her accusation in an interview with The Washington Post. Kavanaugh has denied it.

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5:25 p.m.

A Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Lindsey Graham, says he's willing to hear from the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of  misconduct while in high school.

The woman, Christine Blasey Ford, discussed her accusation in an interview with The Washington Post. Kavanaugh has denied it.

The South Carolina senator says if the panel is going to hear from Ford, "it should be done immediately" so the confirmation process can continue as scheduled.

A committee vote is scheduled for Thursday, but several key Democrats have said it should be postponed.

Graham says he would "gladly listen to what she has to say" and compare it "against all the other information" the committee has considered about Kavanaugh.

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4:45 p.m.

A House Democrat from California says she's "grateful" the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of misconduct in high school has the courage to tell her story.

The woman accusing Kavanaugh of misconduct, Christine Blasey Ford, discussed her accusation in an interview with The Washington Post. Kavanaugh has denied the accusation.

Her congresswoman, Democrat Anna Eshoo, says in a statement Sunday that she's proud of her constituent for "the courage she has displayed to come forward."

Eshoo says that in weighing privacy concerns, the woman "has demonstrated her willingness to risk these factors to present the truth."

Eshoo's statement doesn't refer to Ford by name. Ford tells the Post that she sent a letter about Kavanaugh to Sen. Dianne Feinstein via Eshoo's office. Feinstein is the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.

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3:50 p.m.

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have given no indication they plan to delay Thursday's vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh amid an allegation of misconduct from when he was in high school.

A spokesman for Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa said Sunday that "it's disturbing that these uncorroborated allegations from more than 35 years ago" would surface ahead of voting.

Spokesman Taylor Foy had no new information about the committee's planned vote. He says Kavanaugh already went through several days of hearings and was vetted by the FBI. He says the committee's top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, should have brought the matter to the panel earlier.

He says, "It raises a lot of questions about Democrats' tactics and motives."

Kavanaugh has denied the accusation.

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3:35 p.m.

The Senate's Democratic leader says the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee must postpone a vote on Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination now that a woman accusing Kavanaugh of misconduct decades ago has told her story to The Washington Post.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said Sunday that postponement is warranted until what he calls "serious and credible allegations" are thoroughly investigated. Kavanaugh has denied the accusations.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has scheduled a Thursday vote on Kavanaugh's nomination.

Schumer says that women making serious allegations of abuse have been ignored for too long.

Schumer says Kavanaugh's credibility on other issues has been questioned. He says that to "railroad a vote now" would insult the women of America and the integrity of the Supreme Court.

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3:10 p.m.

The senator who received a letter from a woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of misconduct when they were teenagers says she supports the woman's decision to tell her story publicly.

Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also says the FBI should investigate now that Christine Blasey Ford has spoken to The Washington Post in an article posted Sunday. Feinstein says the investigation should occur before the Senate moves ahead with Kavanaugh's nomination.

The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to vote Thursday on whether to recommend that the full Senate confirm him to a lifetime appointment on the nation's highest court.

Feinstein says she believed from the outset that the allegations were "extremely serious" and "bear heavily" on Kavanaugh's character.

Kavanaugh denies the allegations.