South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman made light of sexual assault and mocked Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Thursday at an election debate — a remark that reflect a troubling strain of thought within the Republican Party.

“Did y’all hear this latest late-breaking news from the Kavanaugh hearings?” Norman said. "Ruth Bader Ginsburg came out that she was groped by Abraham Lincoln.”

The callous and misogynistic joke comes as President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faces a credible allegation of sexual assault. Many conservatives have made light of the allegations and the conduct they describe, but Norman's remarks stand out for their brashness and for the congressman's elected position. (Some noted that the tasteless joke wasn't even original to Norman.)

It's an especially poor choice to mock one of the few female Supreme Court justices in history while the party is trying to put an accused sexual assailant on the bench. And while Republicans remain hopeful that Kavanaugh will be approved by the Senate despite the allegation, it's not clear what kind of damage the controversy will do to the party's standing in the country — particularly with female voters.

Watch the clip below: