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Anita Hill vows to vote for Joe Biden despite past criticism

Posted at 10:27 AM, Sep 06, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-06 11:31:46-04

Long-time critic Anita Hill says she now wants Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to get elected this November.

In 1991, Hill testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her.

Biden chaired that all-male committee which questioned her character, and came off to many as not taking Hill seriously.

Now, she says she picks Biden between him and President Trump.

"Oh, it was terrifying," Anita Hill says of testifying against Clarence Thomas.

It’s been nearly 30 years since Anita Hill was testified before a now infamous Senate Judiciary hearing led by Joe Biden.

She says she has come to a surprising conclusion.

"I think Joe Biden is a person who should be elected in November," said Hill in an interview with CNN.

When asked if she would work with him Hill said "Oh, yes. My commitment is to finding solutions. And I am more than willing to work with him."

Hill became a household name after testifying before the all-male committee during the Supreme Court confirmation of Clarence Thomas.

Hill claimed Thomas sexually harassed her when she worked for him at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Thomas vehemently denied those accusations.

Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court after Biden led the fight against him.

In early 2019, just weeks before Biden launched his campaign for president, Hill got a phone call.

"I have apologized to Anita Hill. I wish I could have done better for her. The truth is, I believed her and I believed he was should not be in the court," Biden has said.

Hill said the phone call was unsatisfying.

"He didn't take responsibility. He didn't hold himself accountable in any way, except that he was sorry that I felt I wasn't treated fairly," said Hill.

But Hill says she’s been watching this election closely and Biden seems to be taking more responsibility now.

"This is not just about me. It's not just about Joe Biden. It's about millions of people in this country and around the world that we can be a model for. And I would love to be a part of that. And if it means voting for Joe Biden, so be it."

The interview is from special report called "Fight for the White House: Joe Biden's Long Journey" which airs Monday on CNN.