--- title: Joe Biden Says He Owes Anita Hill an Apology description: Joe Biden said he owes Anita Hill an apology for the treatment she faced during her 1991 testimony about Clarence Thomas' alleged sexual harassment. canonical: https://time.com/5064108/joe-biden-anita-hill-apology/ author: Samantha Cooney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-14T15:02:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:51.255Z article:section: Politics og:title: Joe Biden Says He Owes Anita Hill an Apology og:description: 'I wish I had been able to do more for Anita Hill' og:url: https://time.com/5064108/joe-biden-anita-hill-apology/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3cbab88935791403/6988a1d897cdff2a6e6ad64d/anita-hill.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3794 og:image:height: 2134 og:image:alt: anita-hill og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Joe Biden Says He Owes Anita Hill an Apology twitter:description: 'I wish I had been able to do more for Anita Hill' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3cbab88935791403/6988a1d897cdff2a6e6ad64d/anita-hill.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'I Wish I Had Been Able to Do More.' 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=fee6261e-4997-4e16-99da-49007e4bb045&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: HBO 'Confirmation' Trailer [Watch (HLS stream): HBO 'Confirmation' Trailer](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ue3GHXfZ.m3u8) (1:28)  _Published 2016-04-06_  by [Samantha Cooney](https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Dec 14, 2017 3:02 PM UTC  ASPEN, CO - JULY 29: Anita Hill speaks during Anita, NEW VIEWS Documentaries & Dialogue, co-presented by the Aspen Institute Arts Program and Aspen Film at the Paepke Auditorium at the Aspen Institute on July 29, 2013 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images) ASPEN, CO - JULY 29: Anita Hill speaks during Anita, NEW VIEWS Documentaries & Dialogue, co-presented by the Aspen Institute Arts Program and Aspen Film at the Paepke Auditorium at the Aspen Institute on July 29, 2013 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images) Leigh Vogel—Getty Images  by [Samantha Cooney](https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Dec 14, 2017 3:02 PM UTC Joe Biden says he owes [Anita Hill](http://time.com/5018066/anita-hill-sexual-assault-hearing-harvey-weinstein/) an apology over the treatment she faced in 1991 when she testified before Congress that Clarence Thomas [had sexually harassed her. ](http://time.com/5018066/anita-hill-sexual-assault-hearing-harvey-weinstein/) The former vice president oversaw Thomas’ 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee. When Hill testified that Thomas had harassed her while she worked for him, she faced aggressive questioning and attacks on her credibility. Thomas, who was eventually confirmed to the Supreme Court by a vote of 52 to 48, denied Hill’s allegations. Biden said in an interview with _Teen Vogue_ published on Dec. 13 that he [didn’t do enough to tone down the attacks against Hill.](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/joe-biden-anita-hill) “I wish I had been able to do more for Anita Hill. I owe her an apology,” Biden said. “My one regret is that I wasn’t able to tone down the attacks on her by some of my Republican friends. I mean, they really went after her. As much as I tried to intervene, I did not have the power to gavel them out of order. I tried to be like a judge and only allow a question that would be relevant to ask.” Biden, who voted against Thomas’ confirmation, added that he later campaigned for two women to get seats on the Senate Judiciary Committee “so there would never be again all men making a judgment on this.” Biden also previously [said at a Nov. 13 event that he was sorry about the treatment of Hill](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-woman-just-asked-joe-biden-if-he-wouldve-handled-anita-hill-differently%5Fus%5F5a09f7b1e4b0bc648a0d18f6), who has become a vocal advocate for [victims of sexual harassment](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/). In the years since the hearing, Biden has [advocated](http://motto.time.com/4757002/joe-biden-its-on-us-george-mason-sexual-assault/) for sexual assault and harassment victims and authored the Violence Against Women Act. But [Hill](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/anita-hill-and-her-1991-congressional-defenders-to-joe-biden-you-were-part-of-the-problem/2017/11/21/2303ba8a-ce69-11e7-a1a3-0d1e45a6de3d%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.6c6f5b52b000) and several [other women](https://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/biden-anita-hill-women-senate-clarence-thomas-213864) have said that Biden hasn’t [fully reckoned](https://www.thecut.com/2017/10/harvey-weinstein-donald-trump-sexual-assault-stories.html) with his role in the Hill hearing. “He also doesn’t understand that it wasn’t just that I felt it was not fair,” Hill [told the Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/anita-hill-and-her-1991-congressional-defenders-to-joe-biden-you-were-part-of-the-problem/2017/11/21/2303ba8a-ce69-11e7-a1a3-0d1e45a6de3d%5Fstory.html?tid=a%5Finl&utm%5Fterm=.96ca14a211b0) on Nov. 16\. “It was that women were looking to the Senate Judiciary Committee and his leadership to really open the way to have these kinds of hearings. They should have been using best practices to show leadership on this issue on behalf of women’s equality. And they did just the opposite.” ## Transcript Professor Hill, Judge Thomas, please stand to be sworn in. During the Fall of 1982 Judge Thomas began to use work situations to discuss sex. I could not keep silent. [ MUSIC ] Is it true, is the story true? I deny every allegation against me today that suggested that I, in any way ever harassed Anita Hill. This is a circus, a national disgrace, and from my standpoint. It's a high tech lynching. [ MUSIC ] This is political theater. Tom has just performed. He is not the victim. [ MUSIC ] My friend's jobs are being threatened. My reputation is ruined. I'm a black man in America. This is a very different thing for me. [ MUSIC ] I treated I treat her the same way I treat other people. It's nonsense. Maybe some one is putting her up to this. Buckle up your guts pal. How could you allow this sort of reprehensible conduct to go on? I was afraid of retaliation. Why would Ever speak to a man like that the rest of your life . >> This president has total faith in his nominee . >> You're not going to believe this. There's another woman . >> We need to depose her . >> You got me bringing up a bunch of bogus dirt. Stop it . >> Why are you doing this ? >> Because I believe you . >> I had to tell the truth. " Confirmation" Saturday April 16th 8pm HBO ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5064108/joe-biden-anita-hill-apology/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5064108/joe-biden-anita-hill-apology/"},"headline":"'I Wish I Had Been Able to Do More.' 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