Here's how many Americans say Kavanaugh is the target of a political 'smear campaign

A new poll shows how many Americans believe the accusations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, and how many think he's being targeted by a "politically motivated smear campaign."

Kavanaugh vs. Ford

In the poll from Quinnipiac University released Monday, nearly half of Americans surveyed (49 percent) believed that Kavanaugh was the target "of a politically motivated smear campaign."

However, more Americans believed the allegations from Christine Blasey Ford than the number of Americans who believed the denials from Kavanaugh.

Forty-eight percent of Americans believe Ford, while 41 percent of Americans believe Kavanaugh. Similarly, 48 percent of Americans believe Kavanaugh should not be confirmed, while 41 percent believe he should be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

Kavanaugh appeared to be heading toward confirmation after he gave a passionate defense of his character before the Senate Judiciary Committee, but one Republican, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) asked that the committee agree to a weeklong FBI investigation in order to move forward.

Republicans have indicated that there will be a vote this week to confirm Kavanaugh.

Here's the latest on the Kavanaugh controversy: