【】

Ugggggghhhhhhh.

Senator Orrin Hatch, the 84-year-old Republican from Utah, told a group of reporters that Christine Blasey Ford is an "attractive witness" during a break in her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

SEE ALSO:Christine Blasey Ford details the harassment she received after Kavanaugh allegations

In a recording published by McClatchy DC, a reporter in the gaggle asks Hatch, "Have you found Dr. Ford credible?"

"It's too early to say," Hatch replies. "I don't think she's uncredible. I think she's an attractive, good witness."

When asked what he meant by attractive, Hatch clarified with: "In other words, she's pleasing."

Mashable Top StoriesStay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletterBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Thanks for signing up!

According to McClatchy reporter Kate Irby, fellow female reporters were taken aback by his statement.

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Hatch's communications director, Matt Whitlock, has been trying to do some damage control by responding to tweets about the incident with the same statement:

"Hatch uses “attractive” to describe personalities, not appearances. If you search his past quotes you’ll see he’s used it consistently for years for men and women he believed has compelling personalities."

And by responding to tweets, we mean responding to nearly every tweet.

Tweet may have been deleted

Regardless of Whitlock's clarification, Twitter users were horrified that a senator would use "attractive" to refer to a witness.

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Watch the testimony live on C-SPAN.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Musk under investigation, Trump's Chinese tariffs, Facebook's fake-news victory: The week in tech news

---