Bloomberg struggles to respond to politics of #MeToo era
WASHINGTON » MikeBloomberg’s name last appeared on a ballot a decade before #MeToo transformed cultural mores surrounding sexual harassment and the treatment of women. As he campaigns for the presidency, the 78-year-old billionaire is struggling to adjust.
The former NewYork City mayorwas caught flat-footed during much of Wednesday night’s debate when rival Elizabeth Warren blasted his company’s use of nondisclosure agreements in cases of sexual harassment. She sought to portray such agreements as endemic of a broader culture of sexism at the company, Bloomberg LP, when he was CEO.
Bloomberg’s response was dismissive. He said those who alleged misconduct “didn’t like a joke I told” and argued that non-disclosure agreements were “consensual” deals supported by the women involved.
The response struck some women as out of touch with how the #MeToo movement has reshaped the conversation around sexual harassment in the workplace — and the use of non-disclosure agreements in particular. Employment lawyer Debra Katz, who represented accuser Christine Blasey Ford in her Senate testimony against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, said Bloomberg’s comments “really missed the mark.”
“I think Bloomberg’s comments were tone-deaf,” she said. “In this moment, when we now understand that many NDAs were entered into in coercive manners, it’s incumbent upon companies and especially those (led by people) like Bloomberg, who are public figures, to agree to revisit these issues.”
The episode could cost Bloomberg some support from women, who are crucial to winning the Democratic nomination and defeating President Donald Trump. Warren kept up the pressure on Thursday, saying when women complain, Bloomberg can “throw a little money on it, put a little gag in the woman’s mouth.”
Bloomberg campaigned Thursday in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he showed no sign of changing his approach, bemoaning the division on display during the debate and reinforcing his central point that he’s best positioned to beat Trump.
Still, his rise in the polls is prompting scrutiny of Bloomberg’s company. Bloomberg LP has reportedly faced nearly 40 lawsuits involving 65 plaintiffs on an array of employment issues between 1996 and 2016. It’s unclear how many of these cases were related to sexual harassment, but a number of recent media reports have disclosed charges of sexist comments made by Bloomberg and other managers at the company.
Earlier this month, The Washington Post published a long-rumored joke book of crude comments Bloomberg allegedly made about women from1990. His campaign has said he never made any of the comments disclosed in the booklet.
But Tina Tchen, the CEO and president of Time’s Up, the organization created to fight sexual harassment in the wake of #MeToo, said she wasn’t surprised by allegations about the culture at Bloomberg LP.