Confirmation Page #2

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when someone comes forward,

the victim tends to become the villain.

Professor, in the next few decades,

the Supreme Court will be

making crucial decisions

that will have a real impact

on the lives of American women.

If there were less at stake, I wouldn't ask.

Were you one of the victims of his advances?

(INAUDIBLE)

(SIGHS)

What I say is

to the Senate Judiciary Committee only,

not for public consumption.

Agreed.

I wouldn't want it to appear

that I had a political agenda.

I'll make it clear.

I came to you.

My earliest memories are those

of Pin Point, Georgia,

a life far removed in space and time

from this room, this day,

- this moment.

- It started at the Department of Education.

CLARENCE:
But I have always carried

in my heart the values of my youth.

The values of my grandparents

and my neighbors.

The values of people

who believe so very deeply in this country

in spite of all of the contradictions.

It is my hope that

when these hearings are complete,

that this Committee will conclude

that I am an honest, decent,

fair person.

(LINE DISCONNECTS)

We begin tonight's coverage with

NBC's Andrea Mitchell on Capitol Hill.

Clarence Thomas held

the Judiciary Committee spellbound today

as he talked about

growing up in poverty and racism.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

- Why are you bringing this to me?

- You're an investigator.

Follow up. Call her.

I can't do that, not from this office.

You know how Biden is

about this type of thing. He'd never...

Carolyn, what she's alleging

is sexual harassment.

It's against the law.

Okay, so bring it to your own senator.

Have him deal with it.

Kennedy can lead the charge

on a lot of issues.

Sexual impropriety isn't one of them.

We both know that.

Fine, let's play this out.

Say I do investigate and it pans out.

Then what?

Then the Committee calls Thomas on it.

And which senator is gonna take that on?

Not mine. Certainly not yours.

I don't know. Leahy maybe. Simon.

Okay, but even if they were up for it,

what about the others?

I mean, Ricki,

half these guys have their own

very shaky dynamics with women.

They are not gonna want this door to open.

Well, they might not have a choice.

The people who gave me Anita Hill's name

expect us to investigate it.

If we don't, they'll probably leak it.

(SIGHS)

So she's saying what? That he touched her?

No, she says it was verbal.

- Any other women saying the same thing?

- Not that we know of.

She does have

a corroborating witness, though.

A friend she told at the time.

Somebody credible?

A judge, and Hill is a law professor,

so, on paper at least, yes.

When is she saying this happened?

Ten years ago.

(CHUCKLES)

Ten years ago?

Carolyn, he's been approved

for three federal jobs in that time.

- I know that.

- Why didn't she bring it up before?

She didn't bring it up now, okay?

We called her. She didn't want to talk about it,

and she really does not want this getting out.

Yeah, no kidding. That makes two of us.

I do not want to go after this guy

on a sex charge, Carolyn.

This is, this is exactly

the kind of thing I hate.

Yeah, I understand.

And what if she's lying?

You understand that?

Then you got me bringing up

a bunch of bogus dirt

on a federal judge's past,

and I'm the bad guy in all this.

She... She didn't want to talk about it?

Not at first, no.

Well, hell, I mean,

I don't want to force a reluctant woman

to have to come in here

and talk about all this stuff.

This is...

(SIGHS)

What if we just... Can we just let it go?

Well, uh...

We're not the, the only people

who know about this, so...

Sh*t. All right, call the FBI.

Have them look into the whole thing.

They're gonna run

the whole gauntlet on this thing.

They got to go quick on that report.

We've got to vote on this guy in a week.

(BEEPS)

You didn't need to do this, you know.

We have agents coming to interview you.

ANITA:
Yes, but since the FBI

reports to the White House,

I thought it was important that I say

what I have to say in my own words,

- so there's no room for misunderstandings.

- (SIGHS)

(KNOCKING)

Judge Clarence Thomas?

Yes.

Anita Hill?

Yes. Come in.

(DOOR CLOSING)

Clarence?

What's wrong?

(SWITCH CLICKS)

A former employee,

someone I hired, mentored,

told the FBI that

I was inappropriate with her...

(SIGHS)

...that I harassed her...

Sexually.

Is there any basis for it?

None. She worked for me.

I treated her the same way

I treat other people working for me.

- Then why is she saying this?

- I don't know.

How can I answer that?

Someone lies about me.

How am I supposed to know why?

Don't yell. I'm just asking.

I'm sorry. I'm upset.

I don't understand.

Maybe someone is putting her up to this.

There are a lot of groups out there

that can't stand the thought

of you on the Court.

They can't beat you honorably,

so they come after you like this,

with lies and slander.

But thank goodness the FBI is on it.

They will see it for what it is, right?

It's political nonsense.

Okay. Thank you.

JOE:
So the FBI's looked into it.

The upshot is,

she says one thing, he says another.

How thorough was the investigation?

Oh, it wasn't exhaustive.

Christ, they had two days to do it.

It's a serious charge

that deserves serious attention.

We got a vote scheduled

on this guy in two days.

To dig into all this,

we're gonna have to postpone that,

and I can't do that without an explanation.

Neither of them wants this thing public,

so unless somebody has a better plan,

we're gonna vote on the nominee

on Friday as scheduled.

We'll send him on

to the full Senate for their vote.

He showed the report

to the whole Committee?

Yes, but it's fine.

Clarence, these guys are senators.

They know a BS ploy when they see one.

And even if they wanted

to make something of it,

which they don't, who would dare?

I mean, DeConcini,

he's up to his neck in ethics charges.

And Kennedy, after the summer he's had...

You're saying I shouldn't care that

my name is gonna be linked to this garbage?

You're saying that I shouldn't care

that when people think of me,

they're gonna think of this?

I'm saying no one will think of this.

But I can't not care. I'm not Kennedy.

I'm a black man in America.

This is a very different thing for me.

- WOMAN:
Mr. Thurmond?

- STROM:
Aye.

- WOMAN:
Mr. Hatch?

- Aye.

- WOMAN:
Mr. Simpson?

- Aye.

- WOMAN:
Mr. Grassley?

- Aye.

- WOMAN:
Mr. Specter?

- ARLEN:
Aye.

- WOMAN:
Mr. Brown?

- BROWN:
Aye.

- WOMAN:
Mr. Biden?

- No.

The 14 members of the Committee

split right down the middle,

seven for and seven against his nomination.

The message,

Thomas is not a great candidate.

Still, his nomination was sent

to the full Senate,

where it is all but certain

- that he will be confirmed.

- (TELEPHONE RINGING)

- Hello?

- Professor Hill, this is Nina Totenberg

from National Public Radio.

I received a copy of the affidavit

that you faxed the Judiciary Committee

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