Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans have hired a female attorney to question the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault during a highly-anticipated hearing on Thursday, according to Sen. Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant HatchBottom line Bottom line Senate GOP divided over whether they'd fill Supreme Court vacancy MORE (R-Utah).

The woman, whose name has not been released by Republicans, will also question Kavanaugh during the hearing.

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All 11 Republicans on the Judiciary panel are men, and the GOP was keen to avoid having male Republican senators ask tough questions to Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Kavanaugh of assault.

The only four women on the panel are all Democrats.

GOP leaders are likely seeking to avoid the memorable optics from the 1991 Anita Hill hearings, when Hill was grilled by an all-male panel about her allegations of sexual misconduct against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.

Ford's lawyers in a letter on Monday night criticized Republicans for hiring "an unnamed 'experienced sex crimes prosecutor,'" claiming her involvement could help turn the Judiciary Committee hearing into a "circus."