WASHINGTON — White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday refused to say whether or not First Girl Jill Biden is shielding her “work husband” Anthony Bernal from verbal sexual harassment allegations — whereas saying she respects Bernal and considers him a “buddy.”
Jean-Pierre defended Bernal — broadly thought to be one of the crucial highly effective White Home officers — when a Submit reporter pressed her a few trio of sources saying Bernal repeatedly speculates on the penis sizes of coworkers in a #MeToo energy play.
“I don’t know who your sources are so I can’t — simply with all due respect — I can’t converse to that… I imply, they’re blind sources,” Jean-Pierre stated throughout her common briefing, earlier than vouching for her colleague.
“What I can converse to is you noticed an announcement from our Chief of Workers Jeff Zients saying they’re ‘unfounded.’ You noticed a really sturdy assertion from Anthony himself… and he stated the identical.”
Zients has dismissed allegations as “unfounded” — with out investigating them.
Sources stated Bernal’s imprecise title as Jill’s senior adviser belies his inner affect, which can exceed Zients’.
“I can not converse to personnel investigations right here or something like that,” Jean-Pierre stated.
“That’s not one thing I’ll ever converse to. And I’m not saying there may be one — I’m simply saying that I’ll by no means, I can not converse to that and that’s not one thing that I can do.”
Jean-Pierre added, “I’ve recognized Anthony for a while now. I’ve recognized him for greater than a decade. I’ve labored carefully with him. And I take into account him a buddy, but in addition a colleague that I respect. And that’s principally what you additionally heard from Jeffrey Zients. I simply don’t have anything to share past your reporting.”
The Submit’s reporter adopted up: “I’ve acquired to press you on this, although, as a result of the president stated he would fireplace individuals for disrespecting colleagues and there’s no investigation.”
“I simply stated to you that they’ve stated themselves, Jeffrey Zients and in addition Anthony Bernal, that they’re unfounded. I can’t converse to your sources, these are your sources to talk to,” she replied.
“Does Bernal’s particular standing come from the primary woman shielding him, as some sources consider?” The Submit requested instantly.
“I’ve answered the query. I’ve answered the query,” Jean-Pierre replied, although she had not, in reality, answered the query
“Anthony Bernal spoke for himself. You heard from our chief of workers — our chief of workers, and [he] gave your publication an announcement clearly — and also you’ve heard from me. I don’t have anything to share.”
The Submit pressed once more, “Is that going to have a chilling impact, although, on individuals who endure sexual harassments or bullying?”
“I don’t have anything to share on that,” Jean-Pierre replied.
ACCUSERS: WH STAFF FEAR FIRST LADY’S WRATH
Sources who made allegations in opposition to Bernal instructed The Submit they had been repulsed by her protection.
Considered one of Bernal’s accusers stated that Jean-Pierre’s statements had been “disgusting” and indicated that “Karine Jean-Pierre and the White Home [are] formally endorsing sexual harassment and abusive habits.”
“Sexual harassment is OK within the Biden White Home in the event you’re Jill Biden’s work husband. [It’s] chilling for different victims of sexual harassment,” the previous Bernal colleague stated.
“There’s additionally a bizarre gender dynamic. If Anthony was concentrating on ladies, he could be gone.”
“Karine is in a tricky place, as is Jeff, but it surely’s a place that the primary woman has put them in,” stated one other supply who has labored with Bernal.
“They’re doing this at gunpoint for a similar cause the handfuls of these present and former colleagues go to the press as an alternative of to an precise supervisor — they need to hold their jobs. Everybody lives in worry, together with Zients and KJP, as a result of Bernal is protected by Jill.”
The supply added that “everybody who works there empathizes with [Jean-Pierre and Zients] for the place they’re being put in. No person actually needs to publicly defend Anthony Bernal as a result of his popularity and habits are so broadly accepted that public statements defending him are by no means considered as credible.”
That supply added: “I hope Joe Biden will get one other 4 years simply so Jill can have a redo as first woman and hopefully rent professionals with expertise in executing an agenda, which most earlier first girls had… She protects and allows essentially the most serial harasser and abuser, Anthony Bernal, simply because he’s indispensable as a private aide. Nobody understands it.” “
A 3rd supply stated, “This isn’t the type of White Home Joe Biden claims to run.”
“Complaints made by a number of individuals needs to be taken significantly and investigated, not papered over and swept underneath the rug simply because the abusive particular person is near the primary woman. This response tells each particular person within the constructing: take the abusive habits and hold quiet,” that supply stated.
The Submit completely reported on the mounting tensions over Bernal’s conduct final month.
4 sources alleged that Bernal inappropriately speculated within the office in regards to the sexuality of colleagues, three described situations the place he spoke within the office in regards to the presumed penis sizes of coworkers and two stated he shared a concept that the dimensions of an individual’s thumb correlates with the size of their penis.
Louise Fitzgerald, a professor emerita on the College of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has served as an knowledgeable in high-profile federal courtroom instances on sexual harassment, instructed The Submit final month that Zients’ brush-off was a pink flag and that the allegations do certainly describe office misconduct.
“Harassment occurs most frequently in workplaces through which, regardless of the coverage could say, workers understand that sexual harassment will not be taken significantly, it’s dangerous to complain, and there aren’t any significant penalties to the perpetrator,” Fitzgerald stated.
