Joe Biden has once again defended his conversation with Anita Hill about her treatment during the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. During an appearance on The View Friday, Biden said he never reached out to Hill directly because he didn’t want to “invade her space,” an apparent reference to a recent bout of accusations against Biden that he does not respect the personal space of women. “Since I had publicly apologized for the way she was treated... I didn’t want to, quote, invade her space,” Biden said. Hill recently told The New York Times that Biden’s conversation with her—almost 30 years after the fact—left her feeling deeply unsatisfied. The former vice president reportedly told Hill he regrets what she endured during the hearing that he presided over as the then-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I’m not going to judge whether or not it was appropriate—whether she thought it was sufficient, but I said privately what I’ve said publicly, I am sorry she was treated the way she was treated,” Biden said. “I did everything within my power to do what I thought was in the rules to be able to stop things.” He then went on to praise Hill and credit her for progress made over gender equality. “She’s one of the reasons why we have the MeToo movement, she’s one of the reasons why I was able to finish writing the Violence Against Women Act,” Biden said. “Look, I’m grateful she took my call.”
