Thanks to the Harvey Weinstein scandal, we’re now seeing a much more thorough vetting of politicians when it comes to their past, at least on the topic of sexual harassment. Thus far, several men in Congress have already been accused and cast out, like John Conyers and Al Franken, and there’s Trent Franks, who retired before having to deal with the accusations against him.
Whether it’s politicians or Hollywood celebrities, the accused have been almost exclusively men. However, a politician from Kansas vying for Congress is the first female suffering the consequences of her sexual harassing past.
As reported at the Kansas City Star, Andrea Ramsey, a Democratic candidate for Congress, is dropping out the race after the Kansas City Star asked her about accusations in a 2005 lawsuit that she sexually harassed and retaliated against a male subordinate who said he had rejected her advances.
The accusations are backed by multiple sources, that confirmed the man reached a settlement with LabOne, where Ramsey was the executive vice president of human resources. Available court documents reveal that the victim, Gary Funkhouser, along with the company, agreed to dismiss the charges after mediation in 2006.
Ramsey was running thanks to a major endorsement from the left-wing women’s group Emily List, which a dedicated to filling Congress with women that support abortion.
Ramsey will drop out on Friday, her campaign said.
“In its rush to claim the high ground in our roiling national conversation about harassment, the Democratic Party has implemented a zero-tolerance standard,” Ramsey said in a statement Friday.
“For me, that means a vindictive, terminated employee’s false allegations are enough for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) to decide not to support our promising campaign. We are in a national moment where rough justice stands in place of careful analysis, nuance and due process.”
Well, Andrea, you and your ilk call for the heads of conservatives to drop out and quit at the first sign of accusations, even if there’s no evidence to support them. Leftists routinely exercise a “zero tolerance policy” when it comes to conservatives, but are far more willing to give their comrades the benefit of the doubt.
In Andrea’s case, it was just too obvious that she was actually guilty, and then there’s the fact that she’s a nobody challenging an incumbent Republican she likely has no chance against, meaning it’s more prudent for the Democratic Party to have her drop out than risk her causing controversy.
Plus, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hadn’t even made an endorsement in the race yet.
“If anyone is guilty of sexual harassment or sexual assault, that person should not hold public office,” said committee spokeswoman Meredith Kelly.
Ramsey repeatedly said that she was not aware of any settlement in the case, but said that if she had been a party to the case she would have opposed settling.
“Had those allegations, those false allegations, been brought against me directly instead of the company I would have fought to exonerate my name. I never would’ve settled,” Ramsey said in an interview on Thursday. “And I would have sued the disgruntled, vindictive employee for defamation.”
Well, it doesn’t look like you’re ever going to get that chance, Andrea. Your brief time in the political spotlight was snuffed out before it ever began, and that’s good news for the people of Kansas.
Source: Kansas City Star