Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, right, was called a “sexual predator” by ABC News chief political analyst Matthew Dowd. (AP, File)
ABC News chief political analyst Matthew Dowd was slammed after calling Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas a “sexual predator” on Twitter when apparently attempting to smear Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
“It was despicable and outrageous what happened to Anita Hill more than 25 years ago, and a sexual predator was given a lifetime seat on the SC. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself in 2018,” Dowd tweeted on Monday, obviously referring to a sexual assault allegation against Kavanaugh.
Justice Thomas, a conservative appointed to the bench by President George H.W. Bush, faced an accusation that he had sexually harassed attorney Anita Hill during his confirmation process back in 1991.
Under oath, Thomas repeatedly denied accusations from Hill that he talked about pornography, made inappropriate comments and sexually harassed her when she worked for him at the Department of Education.
Hill’s accusations resulted in last-minute hearings but Thomas was confirmed and has spent the past 27 years on the bench.
Dowd’s tweet was mocked by followers who called the comment “despicable” and “disgraceful.”
“Dowd is a bad joke, and his "independent" schtick is the second-funniest racket in Washington media after the @washingtonpost's "center-right" columnist,” Free Beacon managing editor David Rutz wrote.
Fox News contributor Sebastian Gorka said, “THIS is why @realDonaldTrump is utterly justified in labeling the #FAKENEWS Media the Enemy of People.”
When accused of hypocrisy, Down responded, “I have called Bill Clinton a sexual predator numerous times.”
Christine Blasey Ford publicly came forward Sunday to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual assault decades ago when they were both teenagers in prep school. The accusation immediately sparked comparisons to the situation surrounding Thomas.
Earlier this year – long before allegations against Kavanaugh surfaced -- Thomas was asked about the grueling confirmation process during an on-stage interview at the Library of Congress in Washington.
“I don’t think the process is what it ought to be,” Thomas said. “I think that these are serious jobs, and they should be serious. I don’t think they should become spectacles.”
Thomas continued: “This is not the Roman Colosseum… We’re not gladiators. And I think we’re going to lose some of our best people who choose not to go through the ordeal. They don’t want to have to fight the lion in order to be a judge or to be in government. And I think it’s our own fault for allowing this to happen.”
ABC News did not respond to a request for comment.
Fox News’ Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Alex Pappas and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
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