Tag: sexual assault

Esper approval likely, but sexual assault allegations slow Joint Chiefs vice chair pick

Kirsten Gillibrand told CQ Roll Call that she would not support even giving Hyten a vote

Updated 7:05 p.m. | The Senate Armed Services Committee, in a closed-door meeting Thursday, is expected to approve the president’s choice for Defense secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman and to discuss the embattled nomination of the Air Force general tapped to be the military’s No. 2 general, committee members and staff said Wednesday.

The committee will probably vote overwhelmingly to give its consent to Army Secretary Mark Esper becoming the next Pentagon chief, clearing the way for a Senate vote in the coming days to confirm him. The panel is also expected to send to the floor the nomination of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to be the next Joint Chiefs chairman.

But the nomination of Air Force Gen. John Hyten, the head of U.S. Strategic Command, for the job of Joint Chiefs vice chairman faces stiff headwinds after the disclosure this month that Hyten had been accused of sexual assault. A Defense Department probe of the allegation cleared Hyten of wrongdoing.

View the complete July 17 article by John M. Donnelly and Patrick Kelley on The Roll Call website here.

Republicans take $400k from casino mogul accused of sexual assault

In accepting the cash, the party says Steve Wynn has denied wrongdoing and not faced criminal charges.

The national Republican Party has accepted nearly $400,000 in donations from disgraced ex-casino mogul Steve Wynn — a move that comes just over a year after he was accused of sexually harassing or assaulting employees over a decade-long period.

Wynn gave $248,500 to the Republican National Committee and $150,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in April, according to two people familiar with the contributions. The donations are set to be disclosed publicly later this month.

Wynn, a longtime Republican Party donor whose net worth has been pegged at nearly $3 billion, stepped down as chairman of Wynn Resorts in January 2018 following accusations that he engaged in an extensive pattern of sexual misconduct toward female employees at his Las Vegas casino. Wynn, 77, also resigned his post as RNC finance chairman.

View the complete May 17 article by Alex Isenstadt on the Politico website here.

DNC on RNC’s Continued Refusal to Return Steve Wynn Money After New Confirmation of Sexual Assault and Harassment

DNC Women’s Media Director Elizabeth Renda released the following statement on the  Nevada Gaming Control Board year-long report, which confirms previously reported allegations that former RNC finance chairman Steve Wynn engaged in a pattern of sexual assault and harassment for more than a decade:

“We already know that a woman’s word alone means nothing to RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. Time and again, we’ve watched McDaniel dismiss the dozens of brave women who stood up to tell their harrowing stories of sexual assault and harassment at the hands of Steve Wynn as insufficient evidence. We’ve watched as she helped fund the campaign of Roy Moore, an alleged child molester, and supported a president who has been accused of sexual misconduct by over a dozen women. But today, she’s faced with more than just allegations.

“So, how will the RNC respond to the conclusive evidence of Wynn’s sexual misconduct presented by the Nevada Gaming Control Board? So far, with the same silence we’re all used to. McDaniel said herself that if the allegations against Wynn were proven true, the RNC would ‘absolutely return 100 percent of that money’ he donated to the organization. Yet today, in the face of an admission of guilt from Wynn Resorts Ltd., the RNC has continued its shameful silence. What more is it going to take for McDaniel to keep her promise?

“This is the Republican Party. This is the party of Steve Wynn, Donald Trump, and Roy Moore. Democrats will refuse to stand by while the Republican Party denigrates women. We will continue to stand side by side with women all across this country because we believe that women must be empowered and respected.”

New woman accuses Moore of sexual misconduct when she was a minor

The following article by Robert Costa and Jenna Johnson was posted on the Washington Post website November 13, 2017:

During a press conference Nov. 13, Beverly Young Nelson accused Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexually assaulting her in the 1970s when she was a teenager. (Reuters)

NEW YORK — An Alabama woman on Monday accused Roy Moore, the Republican nominee for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat, of sexually assaulting her and bruising her neck in the late 1970s when she was 16 years old.

This new allegation follows an extensive report published Thursday by The Washington Post that detailed allegations that Moore initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl when he was 32. The story also described his relationship with three other girls who were between the ages of 16 and 18 at the time. Moore has denied the allegations. Continue reading “New woman accuses Moore of sexual misconduct when she was a minor”

A straight-faced Kellyanne Conway says anyone in office who committed sexual assault should resign

The following article by Alan Pyke was posted on the ThinkProgress website November 12, 2017:

Irony is dead.

Kellyanne Conway, cemter, with husband George Conway, right, greet guests on the south lawn of the White House during a Halloween evemt. Credit: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway refused repeatedly to say whether Alabama Republican Roy Moore should step aside in his Senate race over allegations he is a serial child molester.

Conway, who played an essential role in protecting President Donald Trump’s candidacy a year ago when tapes of him describing his pattern of sexual assault nearly sunk his campaign, told ABC’s Martha Raddatz that the allegations are disqualifying if they are true but would not give a clear answer on her view of the charges.

In the process of demurring on Moore’s guilt or innocence, Conway said elected officials who are guilty of sexual assault or harassment should resign — a call to action that would seem to implicate Conway’s boss, who openly bragged about grabbing women and has been accused of sexual assault by numerous former associates. Continue reading “A straight-faced Kellyanne Conway says anyone in office who committed sexual assault should resign”

‘Take the Bible…’: And thus began the worst defense of Roy Moore

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website November 9, 2017:

Former Alabama chief justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore on Sept. 26, 2017. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

Roy Moore’s Senate campaign was jolted by an allegation Thursday that he initiated sexual touching with a 14-year-old girl when he was 32.

Moore (R) has denied the allegations. Alabama state Auditor Jim Zeigler (R), though, is taking it a step further. In some rather remarkable and often nonsensical comments, the Moore supporter’s argument isn’t that Moore didn’t do these things, but that even the conduct described in The Washington Post’s report is a-okay with both him and the law.

Zeigler’s comments came in an interview with the Washington Examiner. Let’s break them down:

“There is nothing to see here,” Alabama State Auditor Jim Ziegler told the Washington Examiner. “The allegations are that a man in his early 30s dated teenage girls. Even the Washington Post report says that he never had sexual intercourse with any of the girls and never attempted sexual intercourse.”

Continue reading “‘Take the Bible…’: And thus began the worst defense of Roy Moore”

Sierra Club calls on Rick Perry to resign after he implies fossil fuels could reduce sexual assault

The following article by Anna Swartz was posed on the mic.com website November 2, 2017:

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry standing behind President Donald Trump at the 2017 National Boy Scout Jamboree at the Summit in Glen Jean, West Virginia, July 24. Steve Helber/AP

At least one organization is calling on Energy Secretary Rick Perry to resign after comments he made Thursday morning suggesting that developing the fossil fuel industry in “villages in Africa” could help reduce instances of sexual assault.

Speaking at an energy policy event hosted by Axios and NBC News in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning, Perry said that “a young girl” had told him about the safety benefits of electric lights, NBC News reported on Thursday.

“But also from the standpoint of sexual assault, when the lights are on, when you have light that shines, the righteousness, if you will, on those types of acts,” Perry said. “So from the standpoint of how you really affect people’s lives, fossil fuels is going to play a role in that. I happen to think it’s going to play a positive role.” Continue reading “Sierra Club calls on Rick Perry to resign after he implies fossil fuels could reduce sexual assault”

‘My pain is everyday’: After Weinstein’s fall, Trump accusers wonder: Why not him?

The following article by Karen Tumulty, Mark Berman and Jenna Johnson was posted on the Washington Post website October 21, 2017:

Jessica Leeds was one of 11 women who came forward during the 2016 campaign to accuse Donald Trump of sexual harassment. Their claims, however, did not stop him from getting elected to the most powerful office in the world. (Video: Alice Li/Photo: Celeste Sloman/The Washington Post)

Almost a year after New Yorker Jessica Leeds and other women stepped forward with harrowing accounts of being sexually assaulted by a powerful man, another scandal with similar elements exploded.

Only this time, the punishment was swift and devastating.

“It is hard to reconcile that Harvey Weinstein could be brought down with this, and [President] Trump just continues to be the Teflon Don,” said Leeds, who claims she was groped 30 years ago on a plane by the man whose presence she cannot escape now that he sits in the Oval Office. Continue reading “‘My pain is everyday’: After Weinstein’s fall, Trump accusers wonder: Why not him?”

Former ‘Apprentice’ Star Subpoenas Trump Campaign

The following article by Harriet Sinclair of Newsweek was posted on the National Memo website October 16, 2017:

A former Apprentice contestant who alleges Donald Trump groped her has subpoenaed his campaign team for documents about “any woman alleging that Donald J. Trump touched her inappropriately.”

Summer Zervos said Trump had attempted to kiss and touch her in 2007, making her accusation public in October 2016. Trump called the allegations a lie, which led Zervos to file a defamation lawsuit against Trump.

As part of that defamation case, BuzzFeed News reported on Sunday that Zervos has subpoenaed the president’s campaign team for: “all documents concerning any accusations that were made during Donald J. Trump’s election campaign for president, that he subjected any woman to unwanted sexual touching and/or sexually inappropriate behavior.” Continue reading “Former ‘Apprentice’ Star Subpoenas Trump Campaign”