Sen. Joe Biden makes a point during the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas in October 1991 as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy looks on. | Greg Gibson/AP Photo Politics Biden laments treatment of Anita Hill

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday expressed regret for Anita Hill's treatment during the Senate confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

“She paid a terrible price. She was abused through the hearing,” Biden said of Hill during the Biden Courage Awards ceremony in New York. “To this day, I regret I couldn’t get her the kind of hearing she deserved.”


Biden, who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991 during Thomas’ confirmation, has been repeatedly criticized for his handling of Hill’s testimony before the committee — criticism that could prove a thorn in his side during a potential 2020 presidential bid. Hill spoke out against Thomas at the time, accusing him of harassing her while acting as her supervisor, but was unable to stop Thomas’ confirmation.

Biden said Tuesday that he tried to stop Thomas from getting confirmed but that Hill faced a “bunch of white guys” and that she deserved a “hearing where she was respected.” He has publicly apologized for Hill’s treatment during the hearing before but never to her directly.

Last year, Hill had noted that Biden said he owed her an apology — but made it clear she wasn’t holding her breath after all these years.

“It’s become sort of a running joke in the household when someone rings the doorbell and we’re not expecting company,” she told Elle magazine. “‘Oh,’ we say, ‘is that Joe Biden coming to apologize?’”

Biden added on Tuesday that the Senate committee remains a hostile environment for women to bring accusations of abuse, referring to the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, during which Christine Blasey Ford testified before the committee that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. The highly publicized hearing drew immediate comparisons to Hill’s testimony and highlighted cultural and generational clashes of the #MeToo era.

Several Democratic presidential candidates have also dealt with call-outs of mishandling complaints of sexual misconduct. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York defended her office from criticism for her handling of a sexual harassment complaint, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) apologized after reports of sexual harassment committed by his staff during his 2016 presidential campaign.