The US judge accused of sexual harassment
Witness History
BBC
4.5 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 1 July 2019
⏱️ 10 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1991 the US Supreme Court nominee Judge Clarence Thomas was publicly accused of sexual misconduct by a law professor, Anita Hill. She was called to testify in front of a Senate committee, where her explosive testimony sent shock waves across America. Katy Fallon has been speaking to a close friend of Anita Hill, Shirley Wiegand.
Photo: Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearing. (Credit: Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
| 0:24.6 | poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples. |
| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast from the BBC World Service with me Katie Fallon. |
| 0:48.6 | Today I'm taking you back to 1991 to an episode of Washington DC drama that transfixed and divided the United States. |
| 0:57.0 | The story starts on the 1st of July when President George H.W. Bush nominated Judge |
| 1:02.3 | Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. |
| 1:04.3 | I have followed this man's career for some time and he has excelled in everything that he has |
| 1:11.4 | attempted. |
| 1:12.6 | Judge Thomas's life is a model for all Americans. |
| 1:16.2 | And I trust that the Senate will confirm this able man promptly. |
| 1:21.1 | To reach America's highest court, Judge Thomas had to be confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. |
| 1:26.2 | The hearing will come to order. |
| 1:28.3 | But behind the scenes, away from the public eye, some Democratic senators had heard rumors about Clarence Thomas. |
| 1:36.2 | They were investigating claims that he had sexually harassed employees in previous government |
| 1:41.2 | roles. |
| 1:42.2 | I've been speaking to Shirley Weagund, who is a close |
| 1:44.9 | friend of the woman at the center of the storm, Anita Hill. Anita called me when |
| 1:49.9 | Clarence was nominated, she knew him, she had worked for him and she said, |
| 1:55.0 | there are some things about him that I can't even talk about with you on the phone. |
... |
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