The New York Times Opinion desk on Thursday deleted and apologized for a Twitter poll it posted earlier that day asking readers whether they found credible the testimony of a woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

Christine Blasey Ford began her testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday morning, speaking publicly about her allegations against Kavanaugh for the first time. Ford delivered an emotional opening statement describing the alleged assault, appearing to hold back tears as she read from her prepared statement.

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The account initially posted a poll that asked, "Christine Blasey Ford is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. Do you find her testimony credible?"

The poll attracted criticism from some Twitter users, who questioned whether it was appropriate to ask the public to assess the credibility of Ford.

"We're sorry for this tweet. In retrospect, a Twitter poll is insensitive in light of the gravity of this hearing. We've deleted it," the New York Times Opinion account tweeted after deleting the tweet.

Why is this poll necessary? What exactly are you trying to achieve? Why are you giving credibility to Dr. Ford's detractors? Delete this. — Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly) September 27, 2018

Should @nytopinion lose the poll option — Allison Kilkenny (@allisonkilkenny) September 27, 2018

"Did the Holocaust happen or no? Here's our both-sides poll!" — Dennis Perkins (@DennisPerkins5) September 27, 2018

It's not just about the poll. It's about the framing of the question as well, which plays into the still very dominant narrative that women speaking up about sexual assault are not credible. — Nadia Petschek Rawls (@nadiarawls) September 27, 2018

Ford first went public with her allegations in a Washington Post report published on Sept. 16. She alleges that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed during a high school party in the 1980s and tried to remove her clothes, muffling her screams for help.

Ford said Thursday during her testimony that she thought Kavanaugh was going to rape her.

Kavanaugh, who has denied the allegations, is scheduled to testify before the Senate panel later Thursday.

Two other women have come forward publicly with allegations against Kavanaugh. He has also denied those allegations.