Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to express regret about Anita Hill’s 1991 experience testifying that Supreme Court then-nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her — and maintains he was unable to do more.
Biden, in an interview Thursday on PBS “NewsHour,” said he felt bad about “the inability” to silence Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who he said were harassing Hill during Thomas’ confirmation hearing.
“What people wanted me to do was to gavel down other senators who were harassing her,” Biden said. “I wish I had the power or a way to communicate.”
Biden, as a Democratic senator from Delaware, chaired the Judiciary Committee hearing for the confirmation of Thomas. Hill came forward to make public an accusation of sexual harassment against Thomas, which the nominee denied and many of his’ supporters attacked her for. Thomas’ nomination subsequently was confirmed.
Biden has said recently that he regrets the way the infamous hearing went and the way people treated Hill. He went as far as saying in an interview published last month that he owes Hill an apology.
But Hill has pointed out the specific wording of Biden’s regret, saying his apology was not really addressing the thrust of what his critics were after.
When asked about Biden’s comments last year, Hill told The Washington Post, “He said, ‘I am sorry if she felt she didn’t get a fair hearing.’ That’s sort of an ‘I’m sorry if you were offended.’ “
Biden said Thursday that he had not contacted Hill to apologize, despite saying he owed her an apology and that he did not know how to protect her from the witnesses and senators who attacked her, although he noted he got into “shouting matches” with some witnesses.
“No, I haven’t contacted Anita Hill. I hadn’t planned on it. I’m always happy to see her,” Biden said. “I wish I could’ve protected her from the attacks that came at her, but I didn’t know any way to do that.”
Biden has faced criticism over the years for how he handled the issue, including from Hill.
She told the Post last year: “I still don’t think it takes ownership of his role in what happened. And he also doesn’t understand that it wasn’t just that I felt it was not fair.”