Joe Biden seemed a lot more interested 27 years ago in ensuring fairness to a Supreme Court nominee accused of sexual misconduct than he is today.
Biden, who in 1991 chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, felt that if Anita Hill was going to torpedo Clarence Thomas’ nomination, she had to stand the heat of withering examination from Thomas’ supporters on the panel.
Biden says now, however, that Christine Blasey Ford, the main accuser against Brett Kavanaugh, should be “given the benefit of the doubt” and treated with kid gloves when she testifies to the Senate committee.
That is turning due process on its head. Normally, it’s the accused, not the accuser, who gets the benefit of the doubt. The burden is on the accuser to prove guilt, not the accused to prove innocence.
