WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans were forced Friday to delay Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation so the FBI can investigate allegations of sexual assault from more than 30 years ago.

President Donald Trump agreed to the delay of up to one week after Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., allowed Kavanaugh's nomination to reach the full Senate only if the FBI probe is conducted.

“This country’s being ripped apart here,” an emotional Flake said after a flurry of back-room negotiations outside the committee room. “We can have a short pause and make sure that the FBI can investigate.”

The action represented a setback for Kavanaugh and his Republican backers who had expected the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve his nomination and send it to the Senate for final action by Tuesday.

After a series of backroom negotiations, the panel did vote 11-10 along party lines to advance the 53-year-old federal appeals court judge's nomination, but with the proviso that the FBI get involved before a final Senate vote.

"I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file," Trump said later in the day. "As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week."

Kavanaugh stands accused by Christine Blasey Ford of pinning her to a bed and attempting to undress her at a suburban Maryland house party in the summer of 1982, when they were both teenagers. Two other women have made less specific allegations from Kavanaugh's high school and college years.

Ford's attorney, Debra Katz, called the FBI probe "critical to developing all the relevant facts."

"Dr. Christine Blasey Ford welcomes this step in the process," she said. "No artificial limits as to time or scope should be imposed on this investigation."

Kanavaugh said he would comply with the probe and answer additional questions posed by federal authorities.

"Throughout this process, I’ve been interviewed by the FBI, I’ve done a number of 'background' calls directly with the Senate, and yesterday, I answered questions under oath about every topic the senators and their counsel asked me," he said in a statement. "I’ve done everything they have requested and will continue to cooperate."

Another undecided Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said she supported Flake's call for an FBI probe. The committee later announced that the investigation would be "limited to current credible allegations against the nominee."

Only the White House can force the FBI to undertake such a probe. But with Flake and Murkowski seeking it, Trump had no choice, since the GOP holds a narrow majority in the Senate and can't afford to lose two votes.

Earlier, the Republican-controlled panel had turned aside Democrats' effort to subpoena Mark Judge, a potential witness to the alleged assault on Ford, who gave wrenching testimony Thursday about the alleged attack.

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"We should not rush to judgment,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the panel. She said it was wrong to listen to "a credible, poised and brave witness and simply ignore what we heard.”

But Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Democrats simply want to "beat Judge Kavanaugh into submission."

“We can’t allow more time for new smears to damage Judge Kavanaugh," he said. "We've reached a point where it's time to end the circus.”

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Republicans had left the U.S. Capitol on Thursday evening in a state of uncertainty. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Murkowski, both supporters of abortion rights, have remained noncommittal. Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota also have not declared how they will vote but are more likely to oppose Kavanaugh. Manchin said Friday he supports the FBI probe.

Very few others remained undecided Friday. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., one of three Democrats who supported Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch's confirmation last year, announced he would oppose Kavanaugh.

"The allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh are disturbing and credible," he said. "In the interest of getting as much information as possible, I believe the allegations should be investigated by the FBI."

Democrats were furious that Republicans scheduled the vote so soon after the day-long hearing, at which both Ford and Kavanaugh said they were "100 percent" sure of their diametrically opposed stories. Senators pointed to people who were allegedly present at the party Ford has described, saying they have not had the chance to be subpoenaed and interviewed.

"We have done a botch of an investigation," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said. "Over time, I expect the facts to come out. They have a way of doing that. Cover-ups never last. The sand is running through Kavanaugh's hourglass."

The president of the American Bar Association, Robert Carlson, and Heather Gerken, dean of Yale Law School, from which Kavanaugh graduated, added their voices Friday to those seeking an FBI investigation of the sexual assault allegations. Kavanaugh still maintains a "well qualified" rating from the ABA's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.

Democrats repeatedly had asked Kavanaugh at Thursday's hearing to ask for the FBI investigation himself.

“Why didn’t he do it?" an emotional Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Friday. "Because they’re afraid of what they’ll find out.”

Ford offered emotional and intimate testimony before the Judiciary Committee. She told senators she was confident Kavanaugh was "the boy who sexually assaulted me." She said the sounds of his laughter during the assault have haunted her for decades.

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"They were having fun at my expense," she said. "I was underneath one of them while the two laughed."

In testimony that was both fiery and at times tearful, Kavanaugh said the sexual assault allegations had harmed his family and his name. He accused Democrats of orchestrating a "political hit" and repeatedly professed his innocence.

"You will not drive me out," he said.

Democrats denounced the judge's temperament Friday, noting he blamed his predicament on Trump's election and revenge on behalf of the Clintons, presumably for his work investigating President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

“It’s hard to make this stuff up," Sen Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said. "That amounts to conspiratorial madness.”

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., characterized the situation as "not a partisan moment. This is a moral moment in our nation.”

Confirming Kavanaugh would be an important milestone for Republicans and the president, as it would tilt the balance of power on the high court to conservatives.

Contributing: Christal Hayes and Deborah Berry