Hillary Clinton shielded senior adviser accused of harassment in 2008
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 she fire the adviser, Burns Strider. But Clinton did not. Instead, Strider was docked several weeks’ pay and ordered to undergo counseling, and 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 he harassed a young female aide, according to three people close to Correct the Record’s management.
Strider did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Those familiar with the accounts said that, over the years, a number of advisers urged Clinton to sever ties with Strider, and people familiar with what took place did not want to see Clinton blamed for the misconduct of men she was close to.
The complaint from the young woman was initially brought to Jess O’Connell, who was the national director of operations for the Clinton campaign. O’Connell, who is currently chief executive officer of the Democratic National Committee, handled the investigation and advised Patti Solis Doyle, a campaign manager, that Strider should be fired, according to three people familiar with the events.
O’Connell told colleagues she was concerned the young woman making the allegations should not be demoted when she was moved from Strider’s supervision. The woman requested to have no more interactions with Strider, and she was moved to a different job within the campaign, reporting directly to Mike Henry, the deputy campaign manager.
The investigation into Strider’s conduct was described as brief, but it included a review of a number of emails he sent the young woman, who had shared an office with him.
A spokesman for Clinton provided a statement from Utrecht, Kleinfeld, Fiori, Partners, the law firm that had represented the campaign in 2008 and which her advisers said 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 previously have not been 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 interviews with eight former campaign officials and associates of Clinton. They said the campaign manager, 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.
Doyle also declined to comment.