Anita Hill on Friday weighed in regarding allegations surrounding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, calling for a “fair and neutral” investigative process.
Hill, a professor at Brandeis University whose own allegations of sexual harassment nearly derailed the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas back in 1991, issued the statement after an unnamed accuser alleged that Kavanaugh had attempted to force himself onto her at a party while both were in high school.
Her statement referenced the #MeToo movement and insisted that it’s still “incredibly difficult” for victims to report people in power.
“The reluctance of someone to come forward demonstrates that even in the #MeToo era, it remains incredibly difficult to report harassment, abuse or assault by people in power,” Hill said via a spokeswoman, according to Politico. “Given the seriousness of these allegations, the government needs to find a fair and neutral way for complaints to be investigated.”
“The Senate Judiciary Committee should put in place a process that enables anyone with a complaint of this nature to be heard,” she continued. “I have seen firsthand what happens when such a process is weaponized against an accuser, and no one should have to endure that again.”
Conservatives on Twitter noted the similarities to what is happening to Kavanaugh now to what happened to Thomas decades ago.
Y’all, check this out from @McCormackJohn. The Dems are pulling their Anita Hill stunt on Kavanaugh. https://t.co/l3qQbT1eB6
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) September 14, 2018
While some on Twitter were making comparison’s to Kavanaugh’s situation, National Review columnist David French noted a few key differences:
About those Anita Hill comparisons:
1991: Hill comes forward publicly
2018: Claims are anonymous1991: Hill makes detailed allegations
2018: Public hasn’t seen the claims1991: Hill alleges professional misconduct
2018: Anonymous refers to high schoolNot close to the same.
— David French (@DavidAFrench) September 14, 2018