US attorney John Bash slammed what he called a "vicious conspiracy theory" after his wife, attorney Zina Bash, was accused of making a hand gesture that some people associate with white-supremacy groups.

Zina, a former clerk for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, was accused of making the gesture on Tuesday, at the start of Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing for his nomination to the US Supreme Court.

Zina is of Jewish and Mexican heritage and is a descendant of Holocaust survivors.

People who know Zina dismissed the idea that she used the gesture in question.

US attorney John Bash slammed what he called a "vicious conspiracy theory" that spread on social media after his wife, attorney Zina Bash, was accused of making a hand signal that some people associate with white-supremacy groups.

"The attacks today on my wife are repulsive," Bash said on Twitter. "Everyone tweeting this vicious conspiracy theory should be ashamed of themselves."

Zina, a former clerk for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, was accused of making the gesture on Tuesday, at the start of Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing for his nomination to the US Supreme Court.

Accusers claimed that Zina, who is of Jewish and Mexican heritage and is a descendant of Holocaust survivors, is of an ilk who "literally want to bring white supremacy to the Supreme Court."

"We weren't even familiar with the hateful symbol being attributed to her for the random way she rested her hand during a long hearing," Bash tweeted.

He continued: "Some of the Twitter comments have even referred to our baby daughter. I know that there are good folks on both sides of the political divide. I hope that people will clearly condemn this idiotic and sickening accusation."

People who know Zina also called the claim baseless: "Zina is a friend of mine, and I've never heard her utter a racist remark," author J.D. Vance tweeted. "She was born in Mexico and is raising a beautiful family in her adopted home. Try not to let your lunacy shade into slander of good people."

Zina served in various positions of the government, including senior counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and special assistant to the president for regulatory reform, legal, and immigration policy. In addition to clerking for Kavanaugh, she also clerked for Justice Samuel Alito.

The hand symbol, commonly known as the "OK" gesture, is believed to be affiliated with members of the alt-right, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. But the origin of the symbol is also disputed by the Anti-Defamation League, which describes it as a hoax "to fool liberals and get them to spread such false messages."

The gesture was also spotted when a former White House intern allegedly mimicked the symbol in a group photo with President Donald Trump. The former intern, who is of Jewish heritage, denied any association with "racist white power organizations."

"I would never make common cause with them," he said to the Daily Caller at the time.