Top Bernie Sanders 2016 adviser accused of forcibly kissing subordinate

[George II]

Source: Politico

On the final night of the Democratic National Convention in July of 2016, Bernie Sanders’ staffers went out to a Mediterranean restaurant and hookah bar in Center City Philadelphia to celebrate and mourn the end of the campaign.

Sitting at the bar sometime after midnight, convention floor leader Robert Becker—who oversaw Sanders’ Iowa campaign, then helped lead his efforts in Michigan, California, and New York as deputy national field director—began talking with a female staffer who had worked under him along with her boyfriend.

Becker, now 50 years old, told the 20-something woman that he had always wanted to have sex with her and made a reference to riding his “pole,” according to the woman and three other people who witnessed what happened or were told about it shortly afterward by people who did. Later in the night, Becker approached the woman and abruptly grabbed her wrists. Then he moved his hands to her head and forcibly kissed her, putting his tongue in her mouth as he held her, the woman and other sources said.

The woman did not formally report the incident at the time because the campaign was over. But over the past several months, Becker, who is not on Sanders’ payroll, has been calling potential staffers and traveling to early primary states to prepare for another presidential run—activities that Sanders’ top aides did not endorse, but did not disavow, either.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/09/bernie-sanders-2016-robert-becker-women-inappropriate-behavior-1093836

[dalton99a]

1. Kick

[LiberalFighter]

2. I don't get it.

Why do they think this is okay and can get away with it? There are certain boundaries that should not be crossed.

[Power 2 the People]

3. This is getting crazy

First Hillary Clinton staffers accused of sexual harassment.Then Kamala Harris staffers accused of sexual harassment and now Bernie's campaign. This is getting crazy. These candidates need to have better control over who is working for them! Enough is enough!!

[StevieM]

5. Actually, Hillary set up a method of dealing with these potential situations at the start of 2007.

Last edited Sat Jan 12, 2019, 05:29 PM - Edit history (1)

It called for her to take direct responsibility for handling these situations if they were to arise.

When HRC found out about a much less severe situation, she immediately took action. The staffer hadn't forcibly kissed her, or asked her for sex, or pressured her. He didn't have the official power to hire or fire her. But he did place his hands on her shoulders and he did send her some suggestive, if not explicit, emails.

Hillary took action. She listened to the staffer. She believed her. She transferred her to a different position, one where she thrived and built her future career from. The offender was suspended for 5 weeks, demoted, had his salary cut and was ordered to go for sexual harassment counseling. Given the details of the story, it has to be said that HRC exceeded the standards of 2017.

Of course, that didn't stop the media from claiming that she "shielded" the offender, or that she "overrode" her campaign manager--as if the campaign manager, rather than the candidate is supposed to be the final authority. Can you imagine how people would have reacted if the campaign manager made the decision and Hillary said that she simply trusted her judgement and her right to make the call? People would have excoriated her for not taking personal responsibility for making the decision, or thinking it was important enough to get involved and be the one who made the call.

[NurseJackie]

16. Thank you! Exactly what I would expect...

It called for her to take direct responsibility for handling these situations if they were to arise.
When HRC found out about a much less severe situation, she immediately took action.

Thank you! Exactly what I would expect.

There are a lot of revelations and stories coming from the Bernie campaign recently... but it's a shame that none of them shock me. They upset me, of course, but I'm not shocked or surprised.

Heaven help us all.

[ehrnst]

24. Brazile noted a "lack of people having sex" during HRC's campaign...

During one visit, she writes, she thought of a question former Democratic congressman Tony Coelho used to ask her about campaigns: "Are the kids having sex? Are they having fun? If not, let's create something to get that going, or otherwise we're not going to win."

"I didn't sense much fun or [having sex] in Brooklyn," she deadpans.

A man thinks that unless "the kids are having sex" they're "not having fun." That might explain the attitude at campaigns run primarily by men for men.

Perhaps because the environment was safe for women, she hired a lot of women, and she attracted feminists to work on her campaign, there was less "having fun" in bed, and more fun with comradarie and mutual respect.

[Eliot Rosewater]

27. She would have been one of the 3 greatest presidents of all time, better than Bill even

[JudyM]

7. Or maybe men have to have better control of their um... egos.

[R B Garr]

19. LOL, your "everyone does it" brush off is just an attempt

to muddy the waters to exonerate and excuse Sanders. He had pervasive problems in his campaign, starting at the top. He hasn’t handled it well, as evidenced by the letter from former female staffers.

Let’s not smear other female politicians to excuse one male Senator.

[Eliot Rosewater]

28. Almost sounds like a swipe at, an insult at, an ATTACK of all prominent Democrats.

[R B Garr]

34. Yes it does sound like an attack on prominent Democrats.

Triangulation of the “both sides” smears. It’s so obviously meant to deflect.

[emulatorloo]

61. It is totally transparent

[TexasTowelie]

73. Agreed. nt

[ehrnst]

26. That's new - Whataboutism and false equivalence couched as "concern."

Everybody's doing it!!!! So it's not really a problem when it's found to have been going on in my favorite Independent politician, even if it way different than what actually happened with all those DEMOCRATIC WOMEN politicians that we should be criticizing instead... over there!!!! They're ALL crazy!!



Don't expect people to get down there in the mud, now...

[at140]

31. It is impossible to stop natural urges of men and women

to be attracted to others of their desirable sex partners. It is nature doing its work to keep the human race going. Most people can control their urges and behave themselves. A few cannot and they should be held accountable for their actions.

[ehrnst]

33. What the? People can indeed be expected to "control their urges and behave themselves."

It just seems that there are many, not a few, who don't choose to, and it turns out are protected and enabled by those around them who could have done something to stop it.

That attitude of downplaying repeated, predatory behavior as nothing more than "natural impulses of a very few" is what got Kavanaugh confirmed.

[R B Garr]

35. Yes! And down playing and denying all while

accusing others of wrongdoing and corruption. This is outrageous.

[at140]

72. Please see post #71

[at140]

71. Did you by any chance miss the last line in my post?

It said------->"A few cannot and they should be held accountable for their actions."

[ehrnst]

41. Kamala came right out and said "The buck stops here" when she found out.

Bernie's came right out with "I didn't know."

One of those who were involved said that Bernie has known for a long time - at least since 2017, when she and others told Sanders not to endorse Carmona.

The LA Times broke the story about Arturo Carmona and 2016 Sanders staffers story:

https://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-congressional-candidate-arturo-carmona-1491016048-htmlstory.html


Had Sanders come forward in March of 2017, and said, "The buck stops here," and apologized then you could compare his response to Kamala Harris.

And the situation with Kamala Harris was also very different, as you well know...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/longtime-aide-to-sen-kamala-d-harris-resigns-amid-sexual-harassment-allegations/2018/12/06/b748934c-f94b-11e8-8c9a-860ce2a8148f_story.html?utm_term=.4735534a91db

[George II]

44. His response, exact quote from last week: "I was a little bit busy running around the country"

[BeckyDem]

65. This is what real life looks like. Ugly. It will not be driven away easily.

Every exposed story is a win, imo.

[Power 2 the People]

69. +1

[yurbud]

70. unless they are convicted sex offenders, how would you know?

[napi21]

4. Those women should all sue him NOW, only to make sure he will never work on

anyone's campaign again! If they get together, they can probably hire an attorney to file the suit with lots of publicity. If they don't want to continue they can just drop it after the publicity does the job. Of course if they decide to go through with it, all the better. Maybe they can drag a few sheckles out of him.

[ehrnst]

47. That usually always turns out badly for the women who do that. Can you imagine the retaliation they

could receive? They are afraid of it already...

“Candidates who allow people like Robert Becker to lead their organizations shouldn't earn the highest office in our government,” said the woman, who was granted anonymity because she feared retaliation from supporters of Sanders and Becker, who has a loyal following of his own.

“It just really sucks because no one ever held him accountable and he kept pushing and pushing and seeing how much he could get away with. This can’t happen in 2020. You can’t run for President of the United States unless you acknowledge that every campaign demands a safe work environment for every employee and volunteer.”

The Sanders 2016 HR person has said that the women are lying to kneecap the 2020 campaign.

Would that be worth the "opportunity to make Becker pay a few shekels?"

[Cha]

6. Ewwww!

Last edited Thu Jan 10, 2019, 03:00 AM - Edit history (1)

Among those whom Becker contacted was the woman who says he assaulted her. The entreaty prompted her to step forward to tell senior Sanders advisers, including 2016 campaign manager Jeff Weaver, about what happened to her.

Becker continued making plans for 2020, however, and attracted press attention for a trip to South Carolina in mid-December to recruit campaign staffers for Sanders.

“Candidates who allow people like Robert Becker to lead their organizations shouldn't earn the highest office in our government,” said the woman, who was granted anonymity because she feared retaliation from supporters of Sanders and Becker, who has a loyal following of his own.

“It just really sucks because no one ever held him accountable and he kept pushing and pushing and seeing how much he could get away with. This can’t happen in 2020. You can’t run for President of the United States unless you acknowledge that every campaign demands a safe work environment for every employee and volunteer.”

This isn't the only woman who has reported sexual misconduct in this campaign.

[emulatorloo]

59. I am assuming this may be why Weaver announced he won't be campaign manager in 2020

Jeff Weaver won't reprise role as Sanders campaign manager
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211648488

[Cha]

64. That was my exact thought

when I read this, emulatorloo.

[Gothmog]

8. K&R

[SunSeeker]

9. Ick.

[lunamagica]

10. K&R

[McKim]

11. Interesting

Interesting. I wonder where all this is coming from. Will there be more inside stories coming from other candidates’ campaigns? I believe women and I understand why she would not report it immediately. Many women never report. Still something doesn’t smell right about this to me.

[leftofcool]

14. It was reported at the time but of course, they reported it to men who............

did nothing. It smells exactly right to me.

[yardwork]

15. In other words, you don't believe her.

If you read the article, she told numerous people at the time that her boss sexually assaulted her. There were witnesses, too. She chose not to press charges at the time because the campaign ended that night.

She came forward publicly now because her former boss, the one who sexually assaulted her, recently contacted her. He has been traveling around the country launching a campaign for Bernie.

This survivor, and the others who are speaking up now, don't want the Bernie 2020 campaign to involve sexual assault by his top campaign directors.

Seems reasonable to me.

[George II]

17. In the article it's pointed out that she decided to come out with this...

....when he recently contacted her (among others) about his intentions of working in the 2020 campaign. That alarmed her. No doubt that concerned her, thinking that others in two years might be subjected to his abuse.

[karynnj]

21. t that the nature of campaigns makes this behavior at least as likely as in business -

and it has been a problem in many businesses. The relative short term nature, the real camaraderie, the hours and being away from home all probably make it more likely. One reason the me too movement was eye opening is that it showed that most women have to one degree or another faced this. As has been said - it needs to end. Looking at the internet, this guy seems to be a real character and he is defined on the Sanders 2016 website as someone who worked on campaigns for decades - http://www.p2016.org/sanders/sandersorg.html

As can be seen, he was the Iowa director for Bill Richardson's campaign. Before that he worked in Florida - in 2004 he was a Florida field director for ACT, in 2000, he ran the Polk County Bill Bradley primary campaign. It looks like he was one of junior or many second tier operatives who were hired by the Sanders campaign. That is not surprising - his first field director moved from his Senate staff.

[ehrnst]

25. Apparently not on HRC's campaign. Perhaps in a campaign run by and for men it's more common.

Brazile wrote of HRC's campaign

During one visit, she writes, she thought of a question former Democratic congressman Tony Coelho used to ask her about campaigns: "Are the kids having sex? Are they having fun? If not, let's create something to get that going, or otherwise we're not going to win."

"I didn't sense much fun or [having sex] in Brooklyn," she deadpans.

Apparently, Tony Coelho seemed to think that a campaign needed staffers in bed with each other in order to "have fun" and "win."

Perhaps because HRC created a safe work environment, hired many women and attracted feminists to her campaign, the "fun" didn't involve encouraging "the kids to have sex."

[karynnj]

42. There was the accusation of the high level man in 2008, but I would bet that ANY campaign

could have had someone out in their field staff doing such things. I would agree that the candidate could set a tone that makes it more or less likely. Still, I would not feel comfortable ruling out anything wrong happened.

I would agree that Clinton's campaign, with the many women in leadership positions, might have had far less than other campaigns, but that same kind of tone could have been set for a male campaign. (In fact, I have seen no accusations for either the Obama's or Kerry's campaign -- though, as with the comment I made - I would not rule out that someone, in some state, in any campaign might have misbehaved.

PS I seriously doubt that many, if any, candidates explicitly encouraged the "kids" on their campaigns to have sex. Not even Bill Clinton.

[ehrnst]

43. I was referring to the 216 campaign, and HRC clearly

dealt with the 2008 incident to the satisfaction of those involved, who didn't feel a need to meet with her and her staff to prevent it from happening again.

I would agree that Clinton's campaign, with the many women in leadership positions, might have had far less than other campaigns, but that same kind of tone could have been set for a male campaign.

No one has come forward with a complaint about ANY issues on HRC's 2016, not "far less" than other campaigns. And only one person, not several were at issue in the HRC 2008 campaign.

P.S I only said that Tony Poehlo said that people should be encouraged to have sex, and I don't know what campaigns he has worked on.

[R B Garr]

30. We all saw the abuse of Clinton, though. No other candidate

was abused like she was. Now the excuses are that other politicians and now businesses do the same things, so everyone just look away from Bernie.

The problem is that the behavior was very visible and we know where it came from. Now we see the behavior was also internalized in his campaign, so the pattern is evident.

[ehrnst]

22. It's coming from women and men in the campaign. More than one.

Staffers from the 2016 campaign wanted a meeting with Sanders and staff to ensure that it wouldn't happen again. They didn't think that enough had been done to prevent it. They were not going to go public with it until the letter leaked.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/30/bernie-sanders-campaign-harassment-1077014

This is not just one woman with a history of instability - it's men and women, some high level staff that called this meeting.

There is nothing that smells funny, except the entire situation that they are trying to prevent for future staffers.

[LanternWaste]

60. What specifically doesn't "smell right?"

Or hell, if the specifics are too difficult, what about 'in general' then?

[Cha]

66. Don't try to deflect from this woman's struggle

with #Whataboutism.

[Fuzzpope]

12. I don't get it

Seriously, how do these assholes not realize forcing themselves on a woman is not going to end up with their ass in a sling.

Drunk or not, you'd think somebody would consider the extinction level event they're about to trigger can't possibly end well.

[karynnj]

23. Could be that before "Me too", while many had their careers impacted or got fired, many others

had no obvious consequences - though I would imagine that for many who seemingly got away with it - did have it impact their reputation.

[ehrnst]

48. One hopes in a campaign that made social justice and economic justice cornerstones

that would be different.

[karynnj]

51. I would hope so true -- and I think, going forward it will be different on ANY Democratic campaign

because of "Me Too." That should have changed both how the men might see what they are doing as not just wrong, but despicable AND they would have seen various people in entertainment and media with their reputations in tatters because they thought they were entitled to act like that.

[ehrnst]

52. Fortunately, I have not heard anything to that effect about our candidate HRC's campaign.

Either in 2008 or 2016. She walked the walk.

So did her campaign committee - at her direction.

[karynnj]

54. I could say the same for John Kerry's and Barack Obama's nt

[ehrnst]

55. Indeed. No one has come forward with stories like we've heard recently of gender pay inequity. (nt)

[Cha]

67. Yeah, you might think so.

[betsuni]

13. K&R

[bluestarone]

18. Kick again!!!!!!!

[ehrnst]

20. Weaver "didn't know" about a field manager's 30k settlement for harassment?

Maybe this is why he's not coming back as manager?

[George II]

32. That could be a reason. I'm wondering, was Becker paid for his work on the campaign in 2016?

If so, they didn't report his salary as an expenditure on their FEC filing.

And who paid the $30,000 settlement mentioned in the article? It appears that the campaign did, but these are the only $30,000 expenses reported to the FEC:

SPOKANE PUBLIC FACILITIES DISTRICT, EVENT SITE RENTAL
WATERMARK EVENT MANAGEMENT, SOUND/STAGE/LIGHTING
PEOPLE'S BANK, CREDIT CARD PAYMENT
HUBDIALER, TELEPHONE CALLS
LIVEVOX, INC., SOFTWARE
LIVEVOX, INC., SOFTWARE
WATERMARK EVENT MANAGEMENT, SOUND/STAGE/LIGHTING
BLUE WAVE POLITICAL PARTNERS LLC, CONSULTING/ACCOUNTING/COMPLIANCE
LIVEVOX, INC., SOFTWARE
LIVEVOX, INC., SOFTWARE

Despite the fact that a settlement was agreed to by the victim and the campaign, there still was a federal discrimination complaint. You can't cover that up.

[R B Garr]

36. Interesting! That is explosive information and questioning.

Where is his salary?? How was the settlement paid! Great questions, George. Those FEC filings faced some heavy questioning, as I recall.....but hmm.

[George II]

38. Most of the questions had to do with contributions, not expenditures.....

There were literally hundreds of thousands of contributions flagged by the FEC as either impermissible or questionable, many from foreign sources.

The FEC is a treasure trove of information about campaigns, both Democratic and republican. One can learn quite a bit about campaigns just from the candidates' filings. When I was a treasurer of campaigns and committees several years ago, it seemed that I was researching something every quarter (they were state reports in those cases, not federal) We uncovered a few "Ahas!" about our opposition.

[ehrnst]

46. Not listed in expenditures. Interesting.

[ehrnst]

50. There is a law firm listed that was paid 17 times

Garvey, Schubert & Barer
$839,053
17 payments


That may be who cut the check, and handled the legal issues for the campaign.

Yet, still - I can't understand why or how the candidate was not advised of the reason for a 30k campaign expense, or that a federal discrimination complaint had been filed against the campaign by two staffers.

[George II]

53. There are quite a few "law firm" like names in their list of expenditures.

Wasn't payments through a law firm or LLC something that got trump in trouble?

Here's another curious expenditure (off this topic), the campaign spent more than $600,000 with Amazon, $500,000+ with "Amazon HDQT".

[ehrnst]

56. The Amazon billing could be for cloud storage of documents and video.

I've worked a few places that utilize that.

the HDQT could be ad buys.

However, Tad Devine did all the ad buys via a two person company called Old Town Media, LLC

$220 million worth of ads.

No one has been able to determine who owns it.

[George II]

58. Old Towne Media and Revolution Messaging combined received $112 million ($83M and $29M)....

...Very little is known about OTM, which operates out of a private house in Alexandria, Virginia, Revolution Messaging is in Washington DC. It looks like it might be owned by a married couple, David and Shelli Hartig.

[R B Garr]

63. Excellent info! I just read through the subthread

with ehrnst, and it looks to confirm some suspicions.

The connection with Tad Devine having worked with Paul Manafort also explains some campaign similarities.

This is a very interesting development!

[guillaumeb]

29. Misogyny knows no boundaries.

Recommended.

[Gothmog]

39. This incident is part of a pattern

[sheshe2]

45. K&R

[ehrnst]

49. Update: Sanders states "he did not know" about the 30k settlement his campaign paid out

Last edited Thu Jan 10, 2019, 03:41 PM - Edit history (1)

in a federal discrimination complaint by other staffers concerning Becker:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211652213

[emulatorloo]

62. Thanks for the update and link

[Cha]

68. uh huh.

[enid602]

57. Yuck

Well, at least it wasn’t Bernie himself.