Clinton aide wanted adviser fired
Presidential candidate in 2008 kept on worker accused of harassment, report says
WASHINGTON— A senior adviser to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign who was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a young subordinate was kept on the campaign at Clinton’s request, according to four people familiar with what took place.
Clinton’s campaign manager at the time recommended that she fire the adviser, Burns Strider. But Clinton did not. Instead, Strider was docked several weeks’ pay and ordered to undergo counselling. The young woman was moved to a new job.
Strider, who was Clinton’s faith adviser, a co-founder of the American Values Network, and sent the candidate Scripture readings every morning for months during the campaign, was hired five years later to lead an independent group that supported Clinton’s 2016 candidacy, Correct the Record, which was created by a close Clinton ally, David Brock.
He was fired after several months for workplace issues, including allegations that he harassed a young female aide, according to three people close to Correct the Record’s management.
Strider did not respond to an email seeking comment.
A spokesperson for Clinton provided a statement from Utrecht, Kleinfeld, Fiori, Partners, the law firm that had represented the campaign in 2008 and has been involved on sexual harassment issues.
“To ensure a safe working environment, the campaign had a process to address complaints of misconduct or harassment. When matters arose, they were reviewed in accordance with these policies, and appropriate action was taken,” the statement said. “This complaint was no exception.”
The woman’s experience and the reaction to it have not been previously reported. Until now, former Clinton associates were unwilling to discuss the events for publication.
But that changed in the wake of the #MeToo movement, in which dozens of men across the country and across different industries, have been fired or suspended for sexual misconduct.
This account was based on inter- views with eight former campaign officials and associates of Clinton.
They said the campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, and other senior campaign officials discussed the situation involving Strider and Clinton’s response at the time. Some of them were troubled that he was allowed to remain on the campaign.
The complaint against Strider was made by a 30-year-old woman who shared an office with him. She told a campaign official that Strider had rubbed her shoulders inappropriately, kissed her on the forehead and sent her a string of suggestive emails, including at least one during the night, according to three former campaign officials familiar with what took place.
The complaint was taken to Doyle, who approached Clinton and urged that Strider, who was married at the time, be fired, according to the officials familiar with what took place. Clinton said she did not want to, and instead, he remained on her staff. The woman who made the accusation against Strider in 2008 has not spoken publicly about it. She, like most campaign staffers, signed a nondisclosure agreement that barred employees from publicly discussing internal dynamics on the campaign, according to two people with direct knowledge of the contract. Reached by a reporter, she declined to comment.
Solis Doyle also declined to comment.
Clinton’s candidacy has been cited as an inspiration for the #MeToo movement, but she has not played a visible role in it. After several Hollywood actresses told the Times and the New Yorker that Harvey Weinstein, a longtime friend and donor to the Clintons, had harassed or assaulted them, Clinton spoke out against his behaviour, saying in a statement that she was “shocked and appalled by the revelations.”
Weeks later, actress Lena Dunham, one of Clinton’s most visible celebrity supporters in her 2016 presidential bid, told the Times that she warned two Clinton campaign aides against associating with Weinstein. “I just want you to know that Harvey’s a rapist, and this is going to come out at some point,” Dunham said she told the campaign.
Nick Merrill, the communications director for Clinton, said at the time Dunham spoke publicly that she was mistaken. “As to claims about a warning, that’s something staff wouldn’t forget,” he said.