“Women have had it with bosses and coworkers who not only cross boundaries but don’t even seem to know that boundaries exist,” Time magazine writes. “These silence breakers have started a revolution of refusal, gathering strength by the day.” pic.twitter.com/NUr6wo50ZR
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) December 6, 2017
I've talked to several people who say Rep. John Conyers is super stressed out and this is taking a toll on him. Now, Mr. Conyers is in the hospital while still maintaining that he did nothing wrong. https://t.co/P0xYdw4Zdm
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) November 30, 2017
NEW: Longtime Rep. John Conyers has been hospitalized for stress-related illness, his spokesperson says. Conyers has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, and recently stepped aside as ranking member of House Judiciary Committee. pic.twitter.com/sDxNONyjnD
— ABC News (@ABC) November 30, 2017
NEW: Longtime Rep. John Conyers has been hospitalized for stress-related illness, his spokesperson says. Conyers has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, and recently stepped aside as ranking member of House Judiciary Committee. pic.twitter.com/sDxNONyjnD
— ABC News (@ABC) November 30, 2017
Omg this variety story on Lauer. Oh my god. https://t.co/Itzw15cuY6
— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) November 29, 2017
“Believe all women” is a powerful war cry, but it can be turned into a weapon to hurt us. Exhibit A: Roy Moore’s false accuser. My latest: https://t.co/TlpopSzH9m
— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) November 28, 2017
Pelosi defends Conyers as 'an icon' https://t.co/uZwWdV3uXr via @kelseytam pic.twitter.com/HnCq8STgPH
— POLITICO (@politico) November 26, 2017
Zero tolerance for alleged sexual predation ... unless you've done good things in your life and you're in the right partyhttps://t.co/hh59Z8Y9xO
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) November 26, 2017
.@NancyPelosi: Accused Congressman Conyers is an "icon" in our country. #MTP pic.twitter.com/4QlKKJTIJP
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 26, 2017
Nancy Pelosi: John Conyers is "an icon in our country" and "deserves due process."
— Nick Short 🇺🇸 (@PoliticalShort) November 26, 2017
Also Nancy Pelosi: Roy Moore is a "child molester!" https://t.co/B4KWvJXJ9q
Hard for Ds to claim moral high ground on sexual harassment when they respond like this to one of their own https://t.co/VIbTihKOoF
— amy walter (@amyewalter) November 26, 2017
Nancy Pelosi on MTP was pathetic and partisan regarding sexual harassment/assault.
— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) November 26, 2017
#NancyPelosi proves that this so-called “accountability” moment we’re having, on sexual assault and harassment, is completely partisan. #MeetThePress
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) November 26, 2017
BREAKING: Two more women accuse Al Franken of inappropriate touching https://t.co/TdTJijO8LV pic.twitter.com/BIuhhadviG
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) November 23, 2017
There are some extremely depressing quotes in this story. https://t.co/S3xoM8aMAB pic.twitter.com/abGtO4OWng
— Nick Baumann (@NickBaumann) November 23, 2017
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton has apologized for a graphic nude photo of him that circulated online. https://t.co/6JuABqgUEA pic.twitter.com/mWIOYQJ7S6
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) November 22, 2017
Rep. Joe Barton said he would report his lover to the Capitol Police if she exposed his secret sex life, w/ @mikedebonis: https://t.co/e4hcofGnA6
— Elise Viebeck (@eliseviebeck) November 23, 2017
Here's what @RepJoeBarton told his lover when she learned he was involved with other women. He doesn't leave much out. pic.twitter.com/xOyS5BI5qd
— Elise Viebeck (@eliseviebeck) November 23, 2017
Worth noting that the woman says she and Barton would text for hours, including when he was in committee meetings and on the House floor: pic.twitter.com/J359oRdzZY
— Elise Viebeck (@eliseviebeck) November 23, 2017
For those wondering about the revenge porn issue: good question. We listened to the tape. Barton brought up the Capitol Police because he was mad the woman learned about and was making contact with his other lovers. She was mad; he brought up the idea of an investigation.
— Elise Viebeck (@eliseviebeck) November 23, 2017
Here's what Barton had to say about it: pic.twitter.com/4UtoZ4OABt
— Elise Viebeck (@eliseviebeck) November 23, 2017
Finally, to sign off: if you were inappropriately propositioned by Rep. Barton or another member of Congress, we'd like to hear your story. Email us at mike.debonis@washpost.com and elise.viebeck@washpost.com.
— Elise Viebeck (@eliseviebeck) November 23, 2017
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) October 18, 2017
#MeToo" is the social media meme of the moment. In a 24-hour period, the phrase was tweeted nearly a half million times and posted on Facebook 12 million times. Spearheaded by actress Alyssa Milano in the wake of Hollyweird's Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal, women have flooded social media with their own long-buried accounts of being pestered, groped or assaulted by rapacious male predators in the workplace.Keep reading.
Count me out.
It's one thing to break down cultural stigmas constructively, but the #MeToo movement is collectivist virtue signaling of a very perilous sort. The New York Times heralded the phenomenon with multiple articles "to show how commonplace sexual assault and harassment are." The Washington Post credited #MeToo with making "the scale of sexual abuse go viral." And actress Emily Ratajkowski declared at a Marie Claire magazine's women's conference on Monday:
"The most important response to #metoo is 'I believe you.'"
No. I do not believe every woman who is now standing up to "share her story" or "tell her truth." I owe no blind allegiance to any other woman simply because we share the same pronoun. Assertions are not truths until they are established as facts and corroborated with evidence. Timing, context, motives and manner all matter.
Because I reserve the right to vet the claims of individual sexual assault complainants instead of championing them all knee-jerk and wholesale as "victims," I've been scolded as insensitive and inhumane.
"TIMING DOES NOT MATTER," a Twitter user named Meg Yarbrough fumed. "What matters is what is best for EACH INDIVIDUAL victim. You should be ashamed of yourself."
CNN anchor Jake Tapper informed me, "People coming forward should be applauded." But applauding people for "coming forward" is not a journalistic tenet. It's an advocacy tenet. Tapper responded that he was expressing the sentiment as a "human being not as a journalist." Last time I checked, humans have brains. The Weinstein scandal is not an excuse to turn them off and abdicate a basic responsibility to assess the credibility of accusers. It's an incontrovertible fact that not all accusers' claims are equal.
Some number of harrowing encounters described by Weinstein's accusers and the #MeToo hashtag activists no doubt occurred. But experience and scientific literature show us that a significant portion of these allegations will turn out to be half-truths, exaggerations or outright fabrications. That's not victim-blaming. It's reality-checking.
It is irresponsible for news outlets to extrapolate how “commonplace” sexual abuse is based on hashtag trends spread by celebrities, anonymous claimants and bots. The role of the press should be verification, not validation. Instead of interviewing activist actresses, reporters should be interviewing bona fide experts...
“The most important response to #metoo is ‘I believe you’ 🙏” @emrata @marieclaire #powertrip pic.twitter.com/ftP7yLIF1Z— meika hollender (@missmeiks) October 17, 2017
Charlie Rose fired by CBS and PBS drops his talk show over sexual harassment allegations https://t.co/POnAOxpgu6 pic.twitter.com/RXHchNyscX
— San Diego Union-Tribune (@sdut) November 21, 2017
Here is the statement I made at the top of the show on @CBSThisMorning: pic.twitter.com/uAO5yV3wV7
— Norah O'Donnell🇺🇸 (@NorahODonnell) November 21, 2017
Just....... wow. https://t.co/DwsVEFnkBC
— Liz Habib (@LizHabib) November 21, 2017
Rose used the shower technique, just like Weinstein. Did these guys share stories or something? https://t.co/ZA1LOj6lWp https://t.co/Sd69TZviZ3— Kim Priestap (@kimpriestap) November 20, 2017
Eight women have told The Washington Post that longtime television host Charlie Rose made unwanted sexual advances toward them, including lewd phone calls, walking around naked in their presence, or groping their breasts, buttocks or genital areas.Keep reading.
The women were employees or aspired to work for Rose at the “Charlie Rose” show from the late 1990s to as recently as 2011. They ranged in age from 21 to 37 at the time of the alleged encounters. Rose, 75, whose show airs on PBS, also co-hosts “CBS This Morning” and is a contributing correspondent for “60 Minutes.”
There are striking commonalities in the accounts of the women, each of whom described their interactions with Rose in multiple interviews with The Post. For all of the women, reporters interviewed friends, colleagues or family members who said the women had confided in them about aspects of the incidents. Three of the eight spoke on the record.
Five of the women spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of Rose’s stature in the industry, his power over their careers or what they described as his volatile temper.
“In my 45 years in journalism, I have prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked,” Rose said in a statement provided to The Post. “Nevertheless, in the past few days, claims have been made about my behavior toward some former female colleagues.
“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.
“I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too. All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives.”
Most of the women said Rose alternated between fury and flattery in his interactions with them. Five described Rose putting his hand on their legs, sometimes their upper thigh, in what they perceived as a test to gauge their reactions. Two said that while they were working for Rose at his residences or were traveling with him on business, he emerged from the shower and walked naked in front of them. One said he groped her buttocks at a staff party.
Reah Bravo was an intern and then associate producer for Rose’s PBS show beginning in 2007. In interviews, she described unwanted sexual advances while working for Rose at his private waterfront estate in Bellport, N.Y., and while traveling with him in cars, in a hotel suite and on a private plane.
“It has taken 10 years and a fierce moment of cultural reckoning for me to understand these moments for what they were,” she told The Post. “He was a sexual predator, and I was his victim.”
Kyle Godfrey-Ryan, one of Rose’s assistants in the mid-2000s, recalled at least a dozen instances where Rose walked nude in front of her while she worked in one of his New York City homes. He also repeatedly called the then-21-year-old late at night or early in the morning to describe his fantasies of her swimming naked in the Bellport pool as he watched from his bedroom, she said.
“It feels branded into me, the details of it,” Godfrey-Ryan said.
She said she told Yvette Vega, Rose’s longtime executive producer, about the calls.
“I explained how he inappropriately spoke to me during those times,” Godfrey-Ryan said. “She would just shrug and just say, ‘That’s just Charlie being Charlie.’ ”
In a statement to The Post, Vega said she should have done more to protect the young women on the show.
“I should have stood up for them,” said Vega, 52, who has worked with Rose since the show was created in 1991. “I failed. It is crushing. I deeply regret not helping them.”
Godfrey-Ryan said that when Rose learned she had confided to a mutual friend about his conduct, he fired her...
Jeffrey Tambor Exits ‘Transparent’ After Sexual Harassment Allegations https://t.co/RWsxXDreSz pic.twitter.com/anwD7T6oiD— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) November 19, 2017
Is there any way to be an ethical moviegoer in the post-Weinstein era? @christinebader considers https://t.co/I4s50hq2LR pic.twitter.com/JKGVa8OA8e
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) November 15, 2017
Cruz's full statement: "These allegations are deeply concerning. We've now seen multiple, serious allegations of criminal conduct. One of two things should happen. If these allegations are true, Judge Moore should drop out now, today. The people of Alabama deserve to have the option of voting for a strong conservative who has not committed criminal conduct. Or two, if these allegations are not true, then Judge Moore needs to come forward with strong, persuasive rebuttal demonstrating that they are untrue. As it stands tonight, the people of Alabama are faced with an untenable choice. And so it is my hope one of those two options will occur very, very quickly."
"I am not able to urge the people of Alabama to support his candidacy so long as these allegations remain unrefuted. Both last week and this week, there are serious charges of criminal conduct that, if true, not only make him unfit to serve in the Senate but merit criminal prosecution. Judge Moore, like any American, is entitled to present a defense, he's entitled to put forth facts demonstrating the charges are not true. But as it stands I can't urge the people of Alabama to support a campaign in the face of these charges without serious persuasive demonstration that the charges are not true."
