Third Woman Accuses President George H.W. Bush Of Groping During Photo Op

Former Presidents from right, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter gather on stage during a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All f... Former Presidents from right, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter gather on stage during a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents joined to support a Texas concert raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria's devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP Photo/LM Otero) MORE LESS
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A third woman has come forward accusing former President George H.W. Bush of groping her, and making the same joke that other women have reported, during a photo with the former President.

Author Cristina Baker Kline and her husband were invited to a fundraising event for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy in 2014. She said when she was posing for a picture with Bush, he asked her if she wanted to know what his favorite book was.

She, of course, said yes to the former President, according to a personal essay she wrote that Slate published Thursday evening.

“David Cop-a-feel!” he said as he squeezed her behind and the photographer took the photo, she said, repeating the same joke that at least two other women have said he used when he groped them.

After the photo, Kline and her husband left the event and were driven back to their hotel by a friend of the Bush family, Kline said.

Once we were on our way, I told David what had happened. I was still so surprised that it didn’t occur to me to keep it secret. His mouth fell open. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” she said, recalling the conversation with her husband. “Our driver, who was stopped at a light, sat there for a moment, then leaned back and looked at us. ‘I do trust you will be … discreet,’” she said.

Kline remembers thinking that the family friend’s comments made it clear that Bush had done this before.

Here’s an excerpt from her Slate piece:

“Now, with two women talking about the same behavior—even the same crude joke—I feel compelled to step forward. Three and a half years ago President Bush might not have been as mentally acute, but over the course of the weekend I saw him actively engaged in conversation and to all appearances controlling his impulses. He made a choice to do what he did to me.

This is what’s most galling: I was at that event as a guest author, alongside three male authors. I was groped. As far as I know, they were not. What happened to me at a literary luncheon with a former president would never have happened to them. At the very moment when I was feeling honored to be recognized for my work and to raise money for this important organization that I believe in, President Bush made clear to me that because I am a woman, I can be objectified, sexualized, reduced to a body part.

In David Copperfield, Charles Dickens writes, “It’s in vain to recall the past, unless it works some influence upon the present.” That’s why I’m sharing this experience today. I wasn’t traumatized. I’m not angry. But it shouldn’t have happened. I hope all these stories that women are finally sharing about their experiences will begin to effect change.”

Two other women have said the former President groped them during a photo and made the same joke. A spokesperson for the Bush family issued the following statement after the second woman came forward.

“At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures. To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke — and on occasion, he has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner. Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologizes most sincerely.”

The accusations against the former President follow reports from women across the globe who are speaking out against sexual harassment and assault, sharing their personal stories and using the hashtag #metoo. The movement started after reports came out that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein had been sexually assaulting and harassing more than 50 women for decades.

Notable Replies

  1. “David Cop-a-feel!” he said as he squeezed her behind and the photographer took the photo, she said, repeating the same joke that at least two other women have said he used when he groped them.

    Seriously, how crude can you be?

  2. George H.W. Bush has probably been doing this his whole life and getting away with it, and he is surrounded by enablers now who are trying to excuse it due to his age. I’ve seen comments on other websites saying that inappropriate sexual comments and touching can be a sign of dementia, but come on - he made the same “David Cop-a-feel” joke to each of his victims. He knew what he was doing.

    Good for these women in coming forward and warning other women not to get within a yard of his wheelchair. He’s not going to stop grabbing asses until he’s cold in the ground.

  3. I have no doubt it happened. I just don’t get it. He needs to dominate these women? Power? A sexual thrill?

  4. Yes.

  5. He is 93 and has had a few strokes.

    Guys, I am not a Bush apologist, or a groper apologist. My wife and are therapists (OT and Speech) and work with the elderly population.

    After a traumatic brain injury men (I don’t recall this symptom in women) men can develop “Hyper-sexuality Behaviors

    Abstract
    Hypersexual behaviour is a recognized complication of head injuries which can be a source of great distress to patients and persons with whom these patients share significant relationships. In this article, we describe 5 patients who exhibited aberrant sexual behaviours following traumatic brain injury and discuss the relevant literature.

    I have no idea if he has been doing this his entire life or it could just be a symptom of the trauma he suffered during his stroke. We see it so often in head injuries and strokes that is theory in the same way gravity is a theory.

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