Updated 19:00
Three key Republicans have criticised the US President Donald Trump after he openly mocked the university professor who came forward to accuse his Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault.
Dr Christine Blasey Ford is one of three women to accuse Judge Brett Kavanaugh of either sexual impropriety of assault.
Judge Kavanaugh has vehemently denied all the allegations.
At a rally in Mississippi yesterday, President Trump mocked Dr Ford’s testimony and attacked US Democrats for their reaction to the allegations - drawing cheers and laughter from the gathered supporters.
Pretending to be Dr Ford, he said: “Thirty-six years ago this happened. I had one beer, right? I had one beer.”
WATCH: President Trump mocks Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Trump's Supreme Court pick Judge Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, during rally in Mississippi. https://t.co/pZfWN8IFMV pic.twitter.com/81YEs8oXr5
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 3, 2018
“How did you get home? I don’t remember.
“How did you get there? I don’t remember.
“Where is the place? I don’t remember.
“How many years ago was it? I don’t know.
“Upstairs? Downstairs? Where was it? I don’t know – but I had one beer. That is the only thing I remember.
“A man’s life is in tatters. A man’s life is shattered. His wife is shattered; his daughters who are beautiful, incredible young kids.
“They destroy people; they want to destroy people. These are really evil people.”
"Appalling"
Republican senators Jeff Flake, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski - both seen as 'moderates' and among a handful of key votes who could either approve or sink Kavanaugh's nominations - were among those who slammed the President for his remarks.
Senator Flake - whose last-minute demand for an FBI investigation into the allegations prompted a week-long delay to the planned confirmation vote - told MSNBC "there's no time and no place for remarks like that".
He argued: "To discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right. I wish he hadn’t done it... I'll just say it's kind of appalling."
Susan Collins, another 'undecided' senator, said the US President's comments were "just plain wrong".
Susan Collins. Picture by: J. Scott Applewhite/AP/Press Association Images
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski argued that the comments "were wholly inappropriate and in my view unacceptable" - noting that she was taking 'everything into account' in making up her mind about whether to confirm Judge Kavanuagh.
Democrats also rushed to defend Dr Ford, with Senator Kamala Harris calling here a "profile in courage".
Dr. Ford is a profile in courage. She knew what she was up against when she came forward but spoke out because she felt it was her civic duty. She deserves better.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 3, 2018
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called the remarks 'disgraceful', while independent Senator Angus King told CNN that the remarks "made me feel sort of sick".
Senator King added: "Ironically, last week he characterised her testimony, I think he used 'compelling' or 'credible' or something like that, and to turn around and turn her powerful testimony into a political rally punchline... I don't know what to say."
Meanwhile, White House aide Kellyanne Conway defended President Trump and claimed that Dr Ford had been treated like a "Fabergé egg by all of us".
Arguing the US President was only pointing out 'factual inconsistencies', she suggested that media outlets were using mocked as a 'lemming-like word' to describe the comments.
Testimony
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Dr Ford gave a harrowing account of the alleged assault on her by Judge Kavanaugh 36 years ago.
She claimed he held her down and groped her during a high school party in 1982.
She said she feared for her life during the alleged incident when she was 15-years-old and he was 17 – and dismissed suggestions it could be a case of mistaken identity, insisting she was "100%" certain Mr Kavanaugh was her alleged attacker.
“I tried to yell for help,” she said.
“When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling.
“This is what terrified me the most and has had the most lasting impact on my life.
“It was hard for me to breathe and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me."
For his part, Judge Kavanaugh claimed the allegations were “part of a calculated political hit” against him and said his reputation had been “totally and permanently destroyed” by the allegations.
Dr Christine Blasey Ford
Dr Ford said the weeks since coming forward had been the hardest of her life.
"I have had to relive this trauma in front of the world and I have seen my life picked apart by people on television and on Twitter," she said.
She noted: "My family and I have been the target of constant harassment and death threats. I have been called the most vile and hateful names imaginable.
The final Senate vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the highest court in the US has been delayed for up to a week to allow the FBI to look into the allegations.
Additional reporting by Stephen McNeice
