Hillary Clinton addresses ex-adviser's sexual harassment allegations minutes before State of the Union
Minutes before President Trump's first State of the Union was set to begin, Hillary Clinton penned a lengthy Facebook post Tuesday night explaining why she allowed a top adviser to remain on her 2008 campaign despite an accusation of sexual harassment. The post comes days after The New York Times reported that Clinton chose to shield Burns Strider after he was accused of sexually harassing a subordinate.
"The most important work of my life has been to support and empower women," Clinton began, writing that her work is "nowhere near" being done. "I'm proud that it's the work I'm most associated with, and it remains what I'm most dedicated to."
Clinton admitted that if she had to make the decision again, she wouldn't, and explained her thinking at the time. She said a woman working on her campaign came forward with the complaint and her staff "determined that he had in fact engaged in inappropriate behavior."
After her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, recommended Strider's firing, Clinton said she "asked for steps that could be taken short of termination." Clinton said she decided to demote him, dock his pay, separate him from his accuser and require him to seek counseling.
"He would also be warned that any subsequent harassment of any kind toward anyone would result in immediate termination," Clinton added.
"I did this because I didn't think firing him was the best solution to the problem. He needed to be punished, change his behavior, and understand why his actions were wrong. The young woman needed to be able to thrive and feel safe. I thought both could happen without him losing his job. I believed the punishment was severe and the message to him unambiguous," Clinton said, adding that she believes in second chances.
Clinton said there were no further complaints against Strider but he was "terminated from another job for inappropriate behavior" several years later. She said the subsequent firing troubled her greatly and "makes clear that the lesson I hoped he had learned while working for me went unheeded."
"Would he have done better -- been better -- if I had fired him? Would he have gotten that next job? There is no way I can go back 10 years and know the answers," Clinton added. "But you can bet I'm asking myself these questions right now."
