Sophia Michaels
Elizabeth Warren continued her targetting of former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg following her outstanding debate performance this week.
During a CNN Town Hall on Thursday, Warren said she drafted a contract that would release anyone who signed non-disclosure agreement with the former mayor or his company, allowing them to speak publicly about their allegations.
“I used to teach contract law, and I thought I would make this easy. I wrote up a release and covenant not to sue,” Warren said to cheers from the crowd. “And all that Mayor Bloomberg has to do is download it — I’ll text it — sign it and then the women, or men, will be free to speak or tell their own stories.”
Warren then read part of the release: “Bloomberg and the company release any and all obligations contained in any agreement, including but not limited to, any employment, settlement, severance or non-disclosure agreement between Bloomberg and/or the company and any other person to the extent those obligations preclude the other person from disclosing information relating to sexual harassment, discrimination, or other misconduct at the company or by Bloomberg himself.”
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Bloomberg’s candidacy has been haunted by past allegations. The Washington Post’s Michael Kranish wrote an extensive article detailing claims of harassment and discrimination by Bloomberg and at his business-intelligence company, including a former employee who said that when he found out she was pregnant, Bloomberg asked her if she would “kill it.” Kranish also interviewed another former Bloomberg employee who said he saw him make the remark. Another suit claimed Bloomberg told female employees in 1989 in relation to a male colleague getting married: “All of you girls line up to give him [oral sex] as a wedding present.”
Bloomberg defended himself during the debate, saying, “None of them accuse me of doing anything other than maybe they didn’t like a joke I told.”
Warren’s tactic seems to have worked to at least push Bloomberg to release some women from NDAs. The former mayor said in a statement, “I’ve had the company go back over its record and they’ve identified 3 NDAs that we signed over the past 30-plus years with women to address complaints about comments they said I had made. If any of them want to be released from their NDA so that they can talk about those allegations, they should contact the company and they’ll be given a release.”
But, that is not the same as what Warren called for: to release anyone, male or female, who signed an NDA with Bloomberg or his company to speak publicly about sexual harassment, discrimination or other misconduct.
Warren’s focus on Bloomberg combined with his overall performance during the debate seems to have had an effect. According to a poll from the Morning Consult released on Friday, the previously surging candidate saw his net favorability drop 20 points.
Featured via: Rollingstone
