Joe Biden says he is taking "responsibility" for the way Anita Hill was treated during Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearing, and for his own actions toward women, both of which have come under new scrutiny with his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"I believed her from the beginning," the former vice-president said of Hill in an interview airing Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." "She did not get a fair hearing. She did not get treated well. That's my responsibility. As the committee chairman, I take responsibility that she did not get treated well. I take responsibility for that."
Biden had chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee when Hill testified in 1991 and recently called her to apologize, but she said she does not accept it.
Biden and his wife, Jill also spoke out about the complaints from several women who said he made them uncomfortable by touching them inappropriately.
"It's my responsibility to be more sensitive to whether or not someone wants me to reassure them or wants to say hello or wants to show affection toward," Biden said.
His wife said in the 44 years she has known him, she has not heard negative stories, but going forward, he will have to be a "better judge" of how he reacts when people approach him for "comfort or empathy."
Also during the interview, Biden said:
- Medicare for all: He prefers allowing people to buy into a public option instead.
- Impeaching Trump: Democrats should not push to impeach him but continue their investigations.
- Having a female running mate: it's "presumptions" to decide anything for now, but his staff reflects "men, women, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic, so so it would be a government that would represent everyone."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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