The FBI investigated Anita Hill's claims.
In an
opening statement before the committee in October 1991, Hill recounted how she “began to feel severe stress on the job,” fearful that Thomas would “take out his anger” on her by passing her over for assignments or even dismissing her.
The FBI had investigated her claims the previous month and reported back to the committee, at which point lawmakers split 7-7 on the nomination, put forward by President George H.W. Bush. Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden (D-Del.) joined six Republicans in supporting Thomas. No mention of Hill’s charges was made at the public meeting.
The all-male, all-white members of the committee questioned her credibility and quibbled with her about the lurid details of her account. At one point, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced that the FBI report “contains no reference to any mention of Judge Thomas’s private parts or sexual prowess or size of his private parts.”
Anita Hill’s claims echo in allegation against Kavanaugh. Three decades later, will anything be different?