Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, talks with reporters Tuesday in the Capitol after the Senate policy lunches. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) 
 
 Utah Sen. Orrin G. Hatch said Thursday that Christine Blasey Ford is “attractive” and “pleasing,” but stopped short of saying definitively whether he found her credible, outside the room where Ford was testifying about her alleged assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. 
 
 The Utah Republican, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee which is hearing Ford’s testimony, told CNN it was “too early to say” if Ford is credible, but also added, “I don’t think she’s uncredible. I think she an attractive, good witness.” 
 
 When pressed by CNN reporter Shimon Prokupecz on what he meant by “attractive,” Hatch responded: “In other words, she’s pleasing.” 
 
 Senator Orrin Hatch said “it’s too early to say” if Ford is credible. “I don’t think she’s uncredible. I think she an attractive, good witness,” he said. I asked what he meant by “attractive.” He said, “In other words, she’s pleasing.” https://t.co/NKJabkX9aS — Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) September 27, 2018 
 
 The Judiciary panel will also hear from Kavanaugh later in the day. The committee is scheduled to vote on his nomination Friday. 
 
 Hatch spokesman Matt Whitlock offered a clarification on Twitter. 
 
 “Hatch uses ‘attractive’ to describe personalities, not appearances,” he wrote. “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.” 
 
 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. — Matt Whitlock 🇺🇸 (@mattdizwhitlock) September 27, 2018 
 
 Asked by a reporter whether she found Ford’s testimony credible, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, replied, “Thus far.” The Alaska Republican is seen as a key swing vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation. 
 
 Dean DeChiaro contributed to this report. Watch: Christine Blasey Ford's Full Opening Statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee 
 
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 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| (CNN) One of the Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee listening to the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford told reporters Thursday that the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault is "an attractive, good witness." 
 
 "I don't think she's uncredible," said Hatch, the senior senator from Utah, when asked during the lunch break in Ford's testimony. "I think she's an attractive, good witness." 
 
 When CNN asked what he meant by "attractive," Hatch responded, "In other words, she's pleasing." 
 
 Hatch's comments on Ford are significant given that all Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are male, and that they've elected to have a female outside counsel -- Maricopa, Arizona, Deputy County Attorney Rachel Mitchell -- pursue their line of questioning during the hearing. 
 
 Matt Whitlock, a spokesman for Hatch, defended the use of the term "attractive" in a series of tweets after the remarks were made public. 
 
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– Orrin Hatch is taking grief for his choice of words in describing the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford on Thursday. During the lunch break, the Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee referred to Ford as an "attractive" and "pleasing" witness, reports Roll Call. "I don't think she's uncredible," Hatch told reporters. "I think she's an attractive, good witness." When CNN pressed him on what he meant by "attractive," Hatch responded, "In other words, she's pleasing." The remarks have prompted criticism, and USA Today rounds up examples, including one tweet that pretty much summarizes the negative sentiment: "I can’t believe it seemed appropriate to Orrin Hatch to comment on the attractiveness of a woman testifying about her sexual assault." But Hatch's spokesperson has an explanation: “Hatch uses ‘attractive’ to describe personalities, not appearances,” he said. “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.”