President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court has been thrust into turmoil after the woman accusing him of high school-era sexual misconduct told her story publicly for the first time.

Democrats immediately called for a delay in a key committee vote set for this later week and a Republican on the closely divided panel said he was “not comfortable” voting on the nomination without first hearing from the accuser.

Christine Blasey Ford discussed her accusation in an interview with The Washington Post.

“I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” she told the paper. “He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.”

Ms Ford, 51, a clinical psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, said she was able to get away after a friend of Kavanaugh’s who was in the room jumped on top of them and everyone tumbled.

Supreme Court Kavanaugh
President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee (Alex Brandon/AP)

Mr Kavanaugh, 53 and a federal appeals judge in Washington, on Sunday repeated an earlier denial of Ms Ford’s allegation.

“I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time,” Mr Kavanaugh said through the White House.

The allegation first came to light late last week in the form of a letter that has been in the possession of Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, for some time.

The committee recently concluded four days of public hearings on the nomination and the panel’s Republican chairman, Chuck Grassley, scheduled a Thursday vote on whether to recommend that the full Senate confirm Mr Kavanaugh for a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court.

Democrats, led by New York Senator Chuck Schumer, immediately called for it to be postponed, though Republicans gave no indication on Sunday that they would accede to the calls by Democrats, most of whom already publicly oppose Mr Kavanaugh.

A spokesman for the Senate Judiciary Committee said late on Sunday that Mr Grassley is trying to arrange separate, follow-up calls with Mr Kavanaugh and Ms Ford, but just for aides to Mr Grassley and Ms Feinstein, before Thursday’s scheduled vote.

But Senator Jeff Flake, a committee member, told The Washington Post and Politico in interviews on Sunday that he is “not comfortable” voting for Mr Kavanaugh until he learns more about the allegation.

Mr Flake is one of 11 Republicans on the committee, whose 10 Democrats all oppose Mr Kavanaugh. A potential “no” vote from Mr Flake would complicate Mr Kavanaugh’s prospects.

Another Republican member, Senator Lindsey Graham, said he is willing to hear from Ms Ford provided that it is “done immediately” to keep the confirmation process on track.

Critics have accused the Republican Party of fast-tracking the process to get Mr Kavanaugh on the court by October 1, the first day of the autumn term.

Mr Grassley could invite Ms Ford to testify, likely in closed session before Thursday.

Mr Kavanaugh would also probably be asked to appear before senators. The panel would also likely seek testimony from Mark Judge, Kavanaugh’s friend and classmate who Ms Ford says jumped on top of her and Kavanaugh.

Mr Judge has denied that the incident happened.

A spokesman for Mr Grassley said Mr Kavanaugh already went through several days of hearings and has been investigated by the FBI.

The White House has accused Ms Feinstein, who revealed the letter’s existence late last week, of mounting an “11th hour attempt to delay his confirmation”.

The White House said that the FBI has repeatedly investigated Mr Kavanaugh since the 1990s for highly sensitive positions he has held, including in the office of independent counsel Ken Starr, at the White House and his current post on the federal appeals court in Washington.

Ms Feinstein on Sunday called on the FBI to investigate Ms Ford’s story “before the Senate moves forward on this nominee”.

Mr Kavanaugh attended a private school for boys in Maryland while Ms Ford attended a nearby school.

Sixty-five women who knew Mr Kavanagh in high school defended him in a separate letter, circulated by Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, as someone who “always treated women with decency and respect”.