WASHINGTON – Sen. Mazie Hirono did not hold back Tuesday in her condemnation of the handling of professor Christine Blasey Ford's allegation of a decades-old sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, telling men to "shut up and step up."

The Hawaii Democrat slammed the Senate Judiciary Committee's move to hold a hearing on the allegation on Monday and said the men on the committee should join the call for an FBI investigation ahead of any testimony from Kavanaugh or Ford. Hirono is a member of the committee.

Hirono said she expected "the enlightened men in our country" to "rise up to say, 'We cannot continue the victimization and the smearing of someone like Dr. Ford.'"

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When a reporter asked if it helped that there are women on the Judiciary Committee, Hirono let loose.

"Guess who's perpetuating all of these kind of actions? It's the men in this country," she told reporters. "And I just want to say to the men in this country: Just shut up and step up."

She added that it was fair to say she is "upset" by the "unfairness" of the situation.

Hirono made the remarks during a press conference with other Democratic senators discussing Kavanaugh's nomination.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said there "is every reason" to believe Ford and that "she has come forward courageously and bravely, knowing that she would face a nightmare of hostile and vicious scrutiny."

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said the Senate should not "be rushing to judgment with a sham hearing on Monday." She also called it "shameful that the Senate Judiciary Committee plans on repeating the ugly piece of history by doing to Dr. Blasey Ford exactly what they did to Anita Hill."

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., also compared the handling of Ford's accusation against Kavanaugh to Hill's allegation of sexual harassment in 1991 against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.

"This is what happened in 1991," Murray said. "And you know what? I'd hoped we could do better 27 years later."

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