“THE BIGGEST STORY OF THE YEAR”
by Sharon Rondeau
(Nov. 26, 2017) — Author, blogger and investigative journalist Mike Cernovich has published a column at Medium.com explaining why he gave the documents concerning a payout made to a victim of congressional sexual harassment to Buzzfeed News rather than publishing them himself.
Cernovich termed the documents, and the story they prompted, “the biggest story of the year.”
Embedded in the November 20, 2017 Buzzfeed article are links leading to signed affidavits from eyewitnesses and others stating that they, too, were victims of sexual harassment by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI13).
On October 27, The Washington Post reported:
Congress makes its own rules about the handling of sexual complaints against members and staff, passing laws exempting it from practices that apply to other employers.
The result is a culture in which some lawmakers suspect harassment is rampant. Yet victims are unlikely to come forward, according to attorneys who represent them.
Under a law in place since 1995, accusers may file lawsuits only if they first agree to go through months of counseling and mediation. A special congressional office is charged with trying to resolve the cases out of court.
On November 15, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA14) revealed on NBC News that “Over the last 20 years, Congress has settled 260 complaints of workplace discrimination ‘at a cost to taxpayers of this country of $15 million.'” Speier did not differentiate among various types of “discrimination” but said that Congress insulated itself from disclosing such information through the Office of Compliance (OOC).
As well as Speier’s comments, McClatchy News reported that state legislatures also settle harassment and discrimination claims secretly.
Regarding access to congressional harassment payouts, McClatchy wrote on November 15:
As of now, even members of Congress like Speier don’t have access to that information. The Ethics Committees in the House and Senate can access records from the OOC. But per House rules, the only lawmakers who are allowed to review the settlements are the chairman and ranking member of the House Administration Committee, which oversees the chamber’s internal operations. The funding for the settlements comes from a Treasury Department account dedicated to court judgements and settlements against the federal government.
Prior to the publication of Buzzfeed’s initial story concerning sexual harassment on the part of members of Congress, a list of payouts made to victims dating back to 1997 utilizing taxpayer dollars was released to journalist Reid Wilson of The Hill and published on November 16.
On November 17, The Washington Post reported that more than $17 million had been paid out to settle claims by victims of congressional misconduct over the last two decades in the wake of a stream of sexual harassment claims which surfaced about Hollywood producers, actors, journalists and politicians.
State legislators have not been immune to the same accusations, with two in the Minnesota legislature resigning effective December 1.
On Sunday afternoon, Cernovich released a video on Periscope explaining why he did not release the Conyers story himself (courtesy The Gateway Pundit).
With members of Congress expected to return to Washington, DC on Monday following the Thanksgiving break, President Donald Trump, who has also been accused of sexual harassment, has called for the release of the names of congressmen who made the payouts.
“We are demanding that Paul Ryan release EVERY one of these settlements,” Cernovich concurred in his post.
Like many alternative media outlets, Cernovich said he operates at a substantial loss and is asking for financial support to continue his work. In early April he broke the story that Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, “was the official who requested unmasking of incoming Trump officials.”
Cernovich said that even though he gave away the Conyers story, “Everyone in Congress who didn’t know my name knows it now.”
On Sunday afternoon, Conyers announced that he would step away from his position as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee while an ethics investigation proceeds into his conduct. In his press release, Conyers denied the allegations against him and claimed that “many” of them “were raised by documents reportedly paid for by a partisan alt-right blogger,” meaning Cernovich.
Cernovich rejected that characterization, also used by Wikipedia, in his Periscope broadcast.
Aactive on Twitter and his website, Cernovich is also author of “Gorilla Mindset: How to Control Your Thoughts and Emotions and Live Life on Your Terms” and “Danger & Play.” In March, he was interviewed by CBS’s “60 Minutes.”
On the day Buzzfeed published its explosive story, left-leaning New York Magazine headlined its own article with “BuzzFeed’s Conyers Scoop Shows That, Unfortunately, Mike Cernovich Isn’t Going Away.”
As the Conyers scandal was about to unfold, Cernovich marked his 40th birthday.
As I have said before: All of these pervs need to be “unmasked”, the details of these hush money payouts revealed and these so-called public servants need to be removed from office. No exceptions. Finally all monies need to be returned to the tax payers. Any cases that are prosecutable should be filed and litigated to the full extent of the law. Drain the swamp!