Anita Hill told NPR on Tuesday that she does not believe there can be a fair and thorough hearing for the allegations of attempted sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh without an investigation of the claims.
Hill, who in 1991 accused then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing her, said she thought “a neutral body” needed to investigate Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation that Kavanaugh tried to force himself on her at a party when they were both in high school in the 1980s.
Without such an investigation, Hill said a hearing “cannot be fair and thorough.”
“In a real hearing and a real investigation other witnesses would be called, including witnesses who could corroborate, witnesses who could explain the context of the experiences of Dr. Blasey Ford and Judge Kavanaugh during that period in their lives, as well as experts on sexual harassment and sexual assault,” Hill told NPR in an interview.
{mosads} Kavanaugh has unequivocally denied the allegation and provided the Senate Judiciary committee with his calendars from that time, which show no records of the party.
Ford has also said that she does not remember when the event took place, making it difficult to find additional witnesses to corroborate Ford’s story.
All four of the other people Ford alleges attended the party, which she says took place sometime in the early 1980s, have denied being there.
Democrats have called for an FBI investigation into Ford’s allegation about Kavanaugh, which Republicans have called a stall tactic to draw out the process.
The Department of Justice said in a statement that the FBI “does not make any judgment about the credibility or significance of any allegation” and that the bureau’s role “is to provide information for the use of the decision makers.”
The DOJ also noted that it would not be appropriate to open a criminal probe into the matter because the allegations do not involve a federal crime.
Democrats have insisted that an FBI investigation is necessary to dig into the allegation against Kavanaugh, but those opposed have argued the FBI would uncover little that can’t be revealed publicly through congressional hearings or statements by those involved.
A second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, has also alleged sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh, saying he exposed himself to her at a party in college, according to a report from the New Yorker this past Sunday.
The New Yorker stated in its piece that it has no eyewitnesses beyond Ramirez.
Kavanaugh has denied the Ramirez accusations as well, calling it “a smear, plain and simple.”
The attorney representing adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, Michael Avennatti, said over the weekend that he had “credible information” about allegations against Kavanaugh and has stated that he has witnesses who can corroborate the story.
Avenatti told The Hill on Monday that he believes one of his clients will go public with the allegations in the next two days.
A 4Chan user anonymously alleged in a posting Tuesday that he and his girlfriend had tricked Avenatti into believing the allegations were real as a joke.
Avenatti denied that Tuesday, saying, “This is completely false. It never happened; it is a total fabrication. None of it is true.”