Dr. Christine Blasey Ford prepares to testify on Thursday during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on allegations of sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh against Ford in the early 1980s. | Tom Williams/AFP/Getty Images Kavanaugh Confirmation New York Times yanks Twitter poll on Kavanaugh accuser

The Twitter account of the New York Times’ opinion page deleted a poll Thursday asking its followers whether they found Christine Blasey Ford to be a credible witness before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The tweet came as the California professor testified before that panel on her accusation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a drunken house party in Maryland more than three decades ago when they both were in high school.


“Christine Blasey Ford is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee today,” the Times wrote in the tweet. “Do you find her testimony credible?”

The account’s followers were prompted to select “Yes,” “No” or “Unsure.”

The Times later posted a screenshot of the poll, tweeting: “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.”

In a follow-up post, the Times wrote: “We also recognize that asking only about Dr. Blasey's credibility was inappropriate. We had intended to tweet a second poll about Judge Kavanaugh's credibility this afternoon.”

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Kavanaugh is set to appear before senators later Thursday, following Ford’s testimony, to refute her account and make his case to win confirmation to the high court.

A spokeswoman for the Times referred back to its tweet when asked for comment.

The Times’ poll was criticized widely on Twitter, with many claiming it was in poor taste and underscored a broader failure by large swaths of society to believe the stories of sexual assault survivors.