Former Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) finds his future ambitions in limbo as a growing sexual harassment scandal engulfs his 2016 campaign. Asked about over 24 women claiming sexual harassment by male staffers, Sander said he knew nothing about it. With Bernie’s campaign standing for women’s right and gender equality, the current allegations upend any thoughts the 77-year-old has of running for president in 2020. “I thank them, from the bottom of my heart, for speaking out,” Sanders said, acting clueless about the widespread charges of sexual harassment. “What they experienced was absolutely unacceptable and certainly not what a progressive campaign, or any campaign, should be about. Sander’s wife Jane ran the daily operations of the campaign, having her ear tuned into most of the gossip inside campaign officers.
If it were an isolated case here-and-there, it would be more plausible that the sexual harassment in upper echelons of the campaign would pass unnoticed. But with over 24 women coming forward, there’s no doubt that senior members of the Bernie campaign knew the allegations. No such allegations of sexual harassment surfaced in either the campaigns of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Donald Trump or any other competitive candidate like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.), Ohio Gov. John Kasich or anyone else. “The allegation speaks to unacceptable behavior that must not be tolerated in any campaign of workplace. To the women in that campaign who were harassed or mistreated I apologize,” said Bernie. Admitting that sexual harassment occurred in his campaign is more than an “allegation” now for Sanders, formally admitting what took place.
Senior campaign adviser Robert Becker was accused of sexual harassment by at least on female staffer, claiming he forcibly kissed her. Becker has denied any sexual harassment charges, despite being told he would not participate in any future Bernie campaign. Judging by over 24 women coming forward in the 2016 campaign, it’s doubtful Bernie will run again, no matter how much he wants to. Questions now arise whether Bernie, his wife Jane or any other senior members of the campaign were informed about the sexual misbehavior. Bernie acts like this is the first time he was informed about the allegations, when it’s far more likely he or Jane knew about the charges during the campaign. As the facts come out, it’s more likely that key members of Bernie’s inner circle, including Jane, knew about the charges but did nothing to rock the boat during 2016.
Saying, “I was a little busy running around the country trying to make the case,” Sanders offered a feeble excuse for not knowing to CNN Jan. 2. Calling “standards and safeguards were inadequate,” Bernie tried to outline concrete steps he’d do differently if her runs again in 2020. Knowing what took place in 2016 prohibits Bernie from considering a new run. His 2016 campaign will be hit with endless lawsuits about what went down in 2016. Numerous staffers wrote Bernie in December to ask for a meeting to discuss “the issue of sexual violence and harassment on the 2016 campaign,” to hopefully “mitigate the issue in the upcoming presidential cycle.” Bernie’s former campaign staffers are kidding themselves about a further presidential run with baggage following from the 2016 campaign. With all the obstacles running a campaign, it’s not possible to carry the burden of sexual harassment.
When you consider that more that two-dozen female staffers reported sexual harassment by their male counterparts, it’s difficult to imagine a 2020 run would not be deluged with questions about the 2016 campaign. When Bernie’s cornered by the press, he tends to get combative, diverting attention to other issues. “We are addressing what happened on the Bernie campaign but as people that work in this space we see that all campaigns are far-reaching, the issue of sexual harassment has been pervasive across the political spectrum and beyond, as brought to light in the wake of the Me Too movement,” wrote Bernie’s former campaign staffers. Bernie’s former staffers can’t have it both ways: Report sexual harassment and, at the same time, expect that they’ll have jobs available in the next campaign. Me Too’s movement has made it impossible for Bernie to not stand accountable.
No presidential candidate standing accused of sexual harassment can succeed in today’s Me Too atmosphere. When Bernie’s former volunteers and employees chose to go public with sex abuse allegations, they should have known the damage done to Bernie about any future campaign. Over two-dozen female staffers say the sexual harassment was pervasive in the 2016 campaign, begging the question of when Bernie, Jane or senior staffers knew about the allegations. It’s not enough for Bernie to “apologize” to the victims or write policy and procedure to help prevent sexual harassment in future campaigns. Too many questions remain unanswered about when Bernie, Jane and senior staffers knew about that pervasive problem sexual harassment. No one has more outrage than female staffers suffering from the after effects of sexual harassment. Saying it happens in all campaigns just isn’t true.
