Former Vice President Joe Biden admitted in a new interview that he wishes he could have done more to help Anita Hill, the woman who accused Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, during the Congressional process that approved Thomas to the bench in 1991.
Biden, who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time of the hearings, told Teen Vogue, "I wish I had been able to do more for Anita Hill. I owe her an apology."
The committee was comprised of all white men, while Hill is African-American.
CNN's Chris Cillizza thinks Biden's remark could signal his intent to run for president in 2020.
"I believed Anita Hill. I voted against Clarence Thomas. And I insisted the next election — I campaigned for two women senators on the condition that if they won, they would come on the Judiciary Committee, so there would never be again all men making a judgement on this," Biden told Teen Vogue. "And 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."
Biden's comments come as women across the country are speaking out against men who they said have either sexually harassed or assaulted them. Some of the allegations, such as those involving former Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, date back 40 years. Several current lawmakers, meanwhile, have been accused of varying degrees of sexual misconduct. All of this has sparked the #MeToo movement among women.
Cillizza surmised that Biden, 75, is beginning to lay the bricks for a foundation of a potential run at the White House.
Biden has spoken out about women coming forward to share their #MeToo stories as well, including during an appearance this week on The View. And in October, Biden and entertainer Lady Gaga released a video that called for an end to sexual assault.
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