A Democrat running for the U.S. House in Massachusetts has made an unusual political promise: Put me in Congress and I’ll impeach Justice Clarence Thomas for sexual harassment and perjury.
State Sen. Barbara L’Italien said the promise would be part of a broad assault on sexual abuse at the highest levels of the U.S. government that also would include congressional hearings about claims made by many women about President Trump.
At Justice Thomas’s confirmation hearings in 1991, Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill accused him of sexual harassment — one of the first such cases made against a public figure. Justice Thomas vehemently denied the charges, calling them a “high-tech lynching” against an “uppity” black man.
Numerous women who’d worked with Justice Thomas said the graphic accusations from Ms. Hill were not credible to them.
But according to Ms. L’Italien, there is “considerable evidence that Thomas lied under oath” about sexually harassing Ms. Hill.
Spokesman Joe Katz told Politico that his boss is the first congressional candidate to call for Justice Thomas’ impeachment.
Ms. L’Italien, who is one of several Democrats contesting a Sept. 4 primary in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Niki Tsongas, says impeaching Justice Thomas and investigating Mr. Trump is the next step for the #MeToo movement.
“There is an elephant in the room for Congress in the #MeToo era. Our leaders have to start talking about it. Two of the most powerful men in the country have been credibly accused of sexual crimes and gotten away with it,” she said. “Laws cracking down on sexual assault have to be signed by a president who multiple women say assaulted them. Regulations to stop sexual harassment can be struck down by a Supreme Court justice who lied under oath to counter allegations of sexual harassment. Why would victims think a government like that is looking out for them?”
While Democratic control of the U.S. House is widely considered a reasonable possibility after November, a two-thirds majority in the Senate is not, meaning that the chances of Justice Thomas being impeached and removed from the court are essentially nil.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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