Bennett’s sexual assault claims
National Deputy Leader Paula Bennett has claimed Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Jacinda Ardern’s staff knew about an alleged sexual assault by a Labour Party staffer.
The prime minister said this week she did not know that the allegations were of a sexual nature until Monday.
Bennett claimed in Parliament yesterday that three of Ardern’s senior staff and Finance Minister Grant Robertson had known the seriousness of the allegations.
She claimed that the complainants told her Ardern’s former chief of staff Mike Munro, chief press secretary Andrew Campbell and director of her leader’s office, Rob Salmond, knew about the allegations.
Bennett said she had been told by two alleged victims who worked in Parliament that they went to Salmond around ‘‘Christmas time’’ and made the complaint about the alleged perpetrator.
‘‘The Prime Minister has constantly said her office did not receive complaints and in fact encouraged the victims to speak to their line managers. ‘‘They did ... nothing was done. ‘‘We are expected to believe that none of these men in her own office told the Prime Minister about the allegations,’’ Bennett said.
Following the claims, a spokeswoman for Ardern, who was making comment on behalf of Salmond, Munro and Campbell said: ‘‘We have no comment to make on the allegations made under the protection of Parliamentary privilege’’.
In her speech in the House, Bennett also claimed that Campbell had embarked on a ‘‘witch hunt’’ to find out who in the Beehive was talking to the media, she said.
‘‘The complainants certainly felt hunted and scared that he was trying to shut them up and stop them from talking to the media,’’ Bennett said.
She told the House the alleged perpetrator worked in Ardern’s leader’s office.
‘‘He works for her.’’ Bennett said the alleged perpetrator had deep alliances to Central Wellington MP Grant Robertson and was involved in his campaign for the Labour Party leadership.
‘‘That Grant Robertson has known the seriousness of these allegations, it is unbelievable that he has not discussed this with his close friend and his leader.
‘‘Mr Speaker this all smacks of a cover-up.
‘‘This goes straight to the top, to the prime minister, to senior cabinet ministers and to senior staff in her office.’’
Earlier, before the claims were made in the House, reporters asked Robertson what he knew.
He declined to comment in detail when asked if he was told about sexual assault allegations as early as June.
‘‘I am going to respect the privacy of the young people involved in this situation and am simply not going into detail on this,’’ Robertson said.
He said he was comfortable with how he had acted in the matter.