Virginia Thomas Cancels On Point Interview

Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, canceled her scheduled interview with On Point late Tuesday.

We had planned to talk to Thomas about her major role in the Tea Party movement. The interview was scheduled a week ago, but Thomas' publicist abruptly canceled, citing a "scheduling conflict."

Thomas is in the news for a phone message she left for Anita Hill, the Brandeis University law professor, on Oct. 9. In the message, Thomas asked Hill to apologize for accusing her husband of sexual harassment during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1991.

Hill said she thought the call was a joke, so she forwarded the message to campus security, which in turn informed the FBI. Thomas confirmed with NPR that she left the message.

In a statement, Hill refused to apologize and said her 1991 testimony speaks for itself.

Economist and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich joins us in the first hour of On Point for a conversation about equality and democracy.