US senators are sparring over an FBI report into sexual misconduct claims against Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.

One copy of the report exists for all 100 senators to read. Democrats said it was incomplete and Republicans retorted it did not support the accusations.

Judge Kavanaugh has vehemently denied all allegations against him.

A confirmation vote is expected on Saturday. His appointment would tilt the court in favour of conservatives.

The court’s nine justices are appointed for life and have the final say on some of the most contentious issues in US public life, from abortion to gun control and voting laws.

Republicans have a 51-49 majority in the Senate. Two Republican senators who have expressed reservations in the past and could have swayed the vote have now indicated they they found the report “thorough” and that it reached no new conclusions, without revealing on whether they plan to support Mr Kavanaugh’s candidature.

Republicans have accused Democrats of seeking to delay the confirmation of Mr Kavanaugh in the hope that they will make gains in the mid-term elections in November and stop his appointment altogether.

What’s in the report?

The report contains summaries of interviews that the FBI has conducted.

It is in paper format only and no copies will be made. It is being held in a secure room in the basement of the Capitol building, known as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or “Skif”.

Senators have been told not to reveal its contents, but some have already began to describe its findings.

Senator Bob Corker said the report is 46 pages long, and that nine pages focus on Mark Judge – who Prof Ford ways witnessed the alleged assault.

Democrats have raised concerns that the investigation has been too narrow in scope, with key witnesses not interviewed.

What have senators said?

In a statement after reading the report, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Charles Grassley said: “There’s nothing in it that we didn’t already know”, and that the FBI “found no hint of misconduct”.

Ranking Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein called it an “incomplete investigation,” adding that “the most notable part of this report is what’s not in it”.

Swing Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona – like other Republicans – said it contained “no additional corroborating information”.

Moderate Republican Susan Collins of Maine, who also has not announced how she will vote, said it “appears very thorough”.

What’s changed?

Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC Washington

Six days later, the Senate is where it was before the reopened FBI background check of Brett Kavanaugh began. The confirmation vote was, at its heart, a political decision then. It’s a political decision now.

The conservative president has his conservative nominee, and the conservative majority in the Senate is predisposed to put that man on the Supreme Court for life.

The biggest sign that this process is heading toward a successful conclusion for Mr Kavanaugh is that, with the investigation concluded, Democrats are fighting about the process by which it was conducted. If there were some explosive revelation, it would blasted from the rooftops by now.

Instead, key on-the-fence Republicans like Jeff Flake and Susan Collins are dropping hints they are satisfied with the results. The Senate procedural machinery is grinding toward a final weekend vote.

After all the tumult of the past few days, Judge Kavanaugh could be Justice Kavanaugh by the time the Supreme Court reconvenes next week.

What are the allegations?

Last week Professor Christine Blasey Ford testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Mr Kavanaugh, 53, and another man had assaulted her when they were teenagers in the 1980s.

She said Mr Kavanaugh was drunk and had pinned her on to a bed, tried to remove her clothing and put his hand over her mouth when she screamed.

Another woman, Deborah Ramirez, has accused Mr Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her during a drinking game when they were students at Yale University in the 1980s.

After Prof Ford’s testimony, the Senate panel approved Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination but asked for the FBI to conduct further inquiry before the full Senate voted on his appointment to America’s top court.

However the FBI did not examine allegations made by a third woman, Julie Swetnick, that Mr Kavanaugh was involved in the drugging and sexual assault of girls at house parties in the 1980s. He has described Ms Swetnick’s allegation as a “joke”.

Why didn’t the FBI speak to Ford or Kavanaugh?

The remit of the FBI investigation came from the White House and some US media reports have said it decided not to ask the FBI to interview Prof Ford or Judge Kavanaugh.

The White House Counsel’s office believes that the sworn testimony from both in front of the Senate committee last week is sufficient, CNN reported.

Will Kavanaugh be confirmed?

Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation depends on Republican senators voting strictly along party lines.

If all Democrats vote against confirming Judge Kavanaugh, Republicans can only afford one defection – since in a tie, Vice-President Mike Pence would get the casting vote.

Three Republican senators – Jeff Flake, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski – are being closely watched.

The three criticised Mr Trump after he mocked Prof Ford at a rally on Tuesday for not recalling some details of the alleged assault. They described the president’s remarks as “appalling”, “inappropriate” and “just plain wrong”.

Two Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, are also yet to declare their intentions.