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| Amid Criticism Over Anita Hill, Joe Biden Appears on ‘The View’ | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| One day into his presidential campaign, Joseph R. Biden Jr. took part in a live taping of ABC’s “The View” on Friday morning as he faced criticism and questions over his treatment of Anita Hill in the 1991 Clarence Thomas hearings and his recent phone call with her. | |
| In the interview, Mr. Biden declined to say he would serve only one term if elected president, spoke about his relationship with former President Barack Obama, and addressed his past treatment of women who have said his touching and his conduct made them uncomfortable. | |
| Mr. Biden, asked if he would say he was sorry to the women who have complained that he touched them inappropriately over the years, repeatedly refused to give a direct apology. “Here’s the deal: I have to be much more aware of the private space of men and women — it’s not just women, but primarily women,” he said. | |
| Pressed further by the hosts, he said: “I’m really sorry if what I did in talking to them, trying to console, that in fact they took it a different way.” He then addressed the women directly, saying, “Sorry I invaded your space,” though he said he did not do anything to make anyone uncomfortable intentionally. | |
| Mr. Biden largely sidestepped a question about how a Biden presidency would differ from the Obama administration, only saying that the two men disagreed on the “implementation” and “timing of some things.” He said that he had asked Mr. Obama not to endorse him in the 2020 race because “I didn’t want it to look like he was putting his thumb on the scale here.” | |
| Mr. Biden’s appearance on “The View,” which has female hosts and is heavily watched by women, came after a Biden spokeswoman said the former vice president had called Ms. Hill a few weeks ago and expressed “his regret for what she endured” 28 years ago. At that time Mr. Biden, who was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, presided over confirmation hearings in which Ms. Hill accused Justice Thomas, President George Bush’s nominee to the Supreme Court, of sexual harassment. | |
| But in a lengthy telephone interview earlier this week, Ms. Hill told The Times that the call from Mr. Biden had left her feeling deeply unsatisfied. She declined to characterize Mr. Biden’s words to her as an apology and said she was not convinced that he has taken full responsibility for his conduct at the hearings. | But in a lengthy telephone interview earlier this week, Ms. Hill told The Times that the call from Mr. Biden had left her feeling deeply unsatisfied. She declined to characterize Mr. Biden’s words to her as an apology and said she was not convinced that he has taken full responsibility for his conduct at the hearings. |
| “I cannot be satisfied by simply saying, ‘I’m sorry for what happened to you,’” said Ms. Hill, now a professor of social policy, law and women’s studies at Brandeis University. “I will be satisfied when I know there is real change and real accountability and real purpose.” | “I cannot be satisfied by simply saying, ‘I’m sorry for what happened to you,’” said Ms. Hill, now a professor of social policy, law and women’s studies at Brandeis University. “I will be satisfied when I know there is real change and real accountability and real purpose.” |
| [Live analysis of Mr. Biden’s appearance on “The View”] | |
| “The focus on apology, to me, is one thing,” Ms. Hill added. “But he needs to give an apology to the other women and to the American public because we know now how deeply disappointed Americans around the country were about what they saw.” | “The focus on apology, to me, is one thing,” Ms. Hill added. “But he needs to give an apology to the other women and to the American public because we know now how deeply disappointed Americans around the country were about what they saw.” |
| The Biden campaign said Thursday that it would have no comment beyond its initial statement about the call. | The Biden campaign said Thursday that it would have no comment beyond its initial statement about the call. |
| Mr. Biden and Ms. Hill “had a private discussion where he shared with her directly his regret for what she endured and his admiration for everything she has done to change the culture around sexual harassment in this country,” said the deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield. | Mr. Biden and Ms. Hill “had a private discussion where he shared with her directly his regret for what she endured and his admiration for everything she has done to change the culture around sexual harassment in this country,” said the deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield. |
| “The View” is the first of only a handful of appearances and events that the Biden campaign has announced. He is set to deliver remarks on Monday in Pittsburgh about “an inclusive middle class” and then campaign Tuesday and Wednesday in Iowa. | “The View” is the first of only a handful of appearances and events that the Biden campaign has announced. He is set to deliver remarks on Monday in Pittsburgh about “an inclusive middle class” and then campaign Tuesday and Wednesday in Iowa. |