Many people noticed Hillary Clinton’s delayed response to the myriad of sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein. The silence was awkward, not only because Weinstein made significant donations to Clinton’s various campaigns, but because she holds herself out as a staunch feminist. Well, the New York Times has now illuminated another bad look for Hillary while reporting that she shielded a male staffer who was accused of sexually harassing subordinates during several instances of her 2008 presidential campaign.
Even sketchier — the staffer in question was Clinton’s “faith advisor,” Burns Strider. Although Clinton’s campaign manager reportedly advised her to cut him loose, she chose not to do so. Strider was told to undergo counseling and lost some pay, but he kept his job while his accuser was shuffled to a different position. Strider got into more trouble years later, when he was fired in 2016 from his leadership position within pro-Clinton group Correct the Record over different sexual harassment allegations. However, here’s what the NYT says happened during the 2008 campaign:
The complaint against Mr. Strider was made by a 30-year-old woman who shared an office with him. She told a campaign official that Mr. Strider had rubbed her shoulders inappropriately, kissed her on the forehead and sent her a string of suggestive emails, including at least one during the night, according to three former campaign officials familiar with what took place.
The complaint was taken to Ms. Doyle, the campaign manager, who approached Mrs. Clinton and urged that Mr. Strider, who was married at the time, be fired, according to the officials familiar with what took place. Mrs. Clinton said she did not want to, and instead he remained on her staff.
A Clinton spokesperson has gone on the record to assert that the allegation against Strider was handled “in accordance” with existing campaign policies on sexual misconduct.
This revelation receives another dose of unsavoriness when one remembers a different NYT feature story — in which Harvey Weinstein’s assistants were said to have been tasked with procuring his penile injections — where Lena Dunham claimed that she told Clinton’s 2016 campaign about the allegations against Weinstein and advised them not to include him in any fundraising activities. And the rest, as they say, is history.
(Via New York Times)