Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) said Sunday that Christine Blasey Ford's behavior in the time since she was allegedly assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is "perfectly consistent" with that of a sexual assault survivor, and argued that attempts to smear Ford's credibility will have electoral consequences.

"She was so horrified by this that she kind of snuck out or slunk out of this apartment in a way that no one would know what happened, because she was so utterly mortified, and she didn’t tell anybody for years," Granholm said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Granholm, who also served as Michigan's attorney general, said that Ford's decision not to immediately report the alleged incident is consistent with 77 percent of women who have been sexually assaulted.

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She went on to criticize this week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where Ford and Kavanaugh are expected to be the only witnesses.

"There has to be additional investigation or testimony to provide some corroborating context," Granholm said. "Her behavior is perfectly consistent with the victims of sexual assault, and so the president and others who are attempting to smear her credibility without a hearing are the ones women are going to be furious at in this election and beyond."

President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE on Friday attacked Ford's credibility, tweeting that if the alleged assault against her was "as bad as she says," then "charges would have been immediately filed."

Trump had previously been largely restrained in his comments about the allegations, calling for Ford to testify and praising Kavanaugh as a man of intellect and integrity.

Ford is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday morning following days of negotiations with committee leadership.

She has alleged that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, tried to remove her clothes and covered her mouth when she protested during a high school party in the 1980s. She first went public with her accusations last Sunday in an interview published in The Washington Post.

Kavanaugh has denied the allegations.