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- Hillary Clinton addressed a report about a former senior adviser who was kept on her 2008 presidential campaign after he was accused of sexual harassment.
- Clinton said she called the accuser and said she was “dismayed” by the incident at the time, but was proud of her for coming forward.
Former secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addressed a report about a former senior adviser who was allowed to remain on staff during her 2008 presidential campaign after he was accused of sexually harassing a young aide.
“A story appeared today about something that happened in 2008,” Clinton said in a tweet on Friday night. “I was dismayed when it occurred, but was heartened the young woman came forward, was heard, and had her concerns taken seriously and addressed.”
“I called her today to tell her how proud I am of her and to make sure she knows what all women should: we deserve to be heard,” Clinton said in another tweet.
The report, first published by The New York Times, said that although Clinton’s campaign manager advised Clinton to fire Burns Strider, the faith adviser accused of harassment, Clinton decided to keep him on staff. Strider took a temporary pay cut and was ordered to undergo counseling.
The accuser was moved to a different position in the campaign.
A Clinton spokesman responded to the report in a statement: “To ensure a safe working environment, the campaign had a process to address complaints of misconduct or harassment,” the statement said, according to The Times. “When matters arose, they were reviewed in accordance with these policies, and appropriate action was taken. This complaint was no exception.”
In 2013, Strider was selected to lead Correct the Record, an independent pro-Clinton group. He was fired several months later amid new allegations that he sexually harassed a young female staffer there, The Times reported.
Eliza Relman contributed reporting.
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