How the political right and left has responded to the outpouring of sexual misconduct allegations
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- While Democrats and Republicans have diverged in their response to allegations of sexual misconduct, leaders on both sides of the aisle have delivered inconsistent messages.
- Politicians are being forced to clarify their positions on the issue as a national spotlight on sexual harassment and abuse is shone on Capitol Hill.
Amid an intensifying national conversation about sexual misconduct, political leaders and media commentators are speaking out about the issue and, in some cases, delivering inconsistent messages.
On the left, some top lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have been hesitant to condemn political allies accused of sexual misconduct, while other liberal leaders, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, have made advocacy for survivors of sexual assault central to their policy agenda.
Political leaders on the right, most prominently President Donald Trump — whom 19 women have accused of sexual misconduct — have flip-flopped on the issue, promoting accusations made against political foes and undermining those made against allies.
As the spotlight on sexual misconduct shines on Washington, Democrats are attempting to seize moral authority in the debate, by ousting members of their own party stained by accusations, and strengthening their attacks on Republicans accused of sexual misconduct, chief among them the president and Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.
Here's what four top Republicans and four top Democrats have said about sexual misconduct:
On the right: President Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Trump is arguably the most powerful person in the country facing allegations of sexual misconduct.
The president maintains that all 19 women who allege he sexually harassed or abused them are "liars," and the White House has argued in official statements that his election settled the issue of whether Americans care about the accusations.
In the same breath, Trump has praised the women who have come forward across the country with their stories of sexual abuse, and endorsed Moore. The Alabama Senate candidate was accused of sexually pursuing and molesting teenage girls when he was in his 30s. Moore lost the election on December 12.
"I think it's a very special time, a lot of things are coming out, and I think that's good for our society and I think it's very, very good for women," Trump said last month of the #MeToo movement. "I'm very happy it's being exposed."
Trump has publicly called out Democrats and members of the media, including NBC host Matt Lauer and Sen. Al Franken, who were both ousted for sexual misconduct allegations, but consistently defended his friends and political allies stained by similar allegations, including former Fox News chief Roger Ailes and Moore.
On the left: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Pelosi, a longtime advocate of women's rights, has at times hesitated to condemn men, particularly Democrats, accused of sexual misconduct.
She initially refused to criticize Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat accused of sexually harassing former employees, calling him a civil rights "icon," and arguing that he deserved "due process."
After more allegations against Conyers surfaced, Pelosi changed her position, calling the stories "very credible," and pressed the 88-year-old lawmaker to resign.
"Zero tolerance means consequences for everyone," she said. "No matter how great the legacy, it is no license to harass or discriminate."
Back in 2013, Pelosi was also reluctant to condemn a former 10-term member of Congress, Rep. Bob Filner, who later became the mayor of San Diego, after 13 women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct.
"What goes on in San Diego is up to the people of San Diego," she said at the time.
But in early December, Pelosi immediately called for Rep. Ruben Kihuen, a Nevada Democrat, to resign after allegations surfaced that he sexually harassed a former aide.
On the right: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Thomson Reuters
A longtime promoter of a no-tolerance policy on sexual misconduct, McConnell has recently wavered on this position.
In 2007, McConnell helped force Sen. Larry Craig from office after the Idaho Republican was arrested in an undercover sex sting at the Minneapolis airport.
And as the head of the Senate Ethics Committee in 1995, he helped oust Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon after the powerful Republican was accused of sexual abuse and harassment by his female staffers.
But the top Republican has not abided by the same principled stance in the cases of Trump and Moore.
While he initially advocated for the Alabama Senate candidate to withdraw from the race, saying he believes the women have accused Moore, McConnell later refused to take sides, saying he's "going to let the people of Alabama make the call," after Trump officially endorsed Moore and the Republican party reinstated its support for the embattled candidate.
McConnell's wife, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, said recently that she's experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, but warned women that dredging up past bad experiences "holds you back."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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