Washington: A woman who has accused President Donald Trump's US Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, of sexual misconduct decades ago is willing to publicly testify before a Senate panel set to vote this week on his nomination, her lawyer said on Monday.

California professor Christine Blasey Ford has accused Kavanaugh of trying to attack her and remove her clothing in the early 1980s when they were both high school students. Kavanaugh, the Republican President's second nominee for a lifetime appointment to the nation's highest court, has denied the allegations.

The accusation threatens to complicate his nomination, which must be approved first by the Senate Judiciary Committee and then by the full chamber, which is narrowly controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans. A panel vote is scheduled for Thursday.

In a round of TV interviews early on Monday, Ford's Washington-based lawyer, Debra Katz, said her client would be willing to speak out publicly. Asked if that included testimony under oath at a public hearing before senators, Katz said: "She's willing to do what she needs to do." Reuters