Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gave a full apology on Thursday after reports surfaced of another former staffer from his 2016 campaign accusing a top aide of sexual assault, according to a Politico report.
“It appears that as part of our campaign, there were some women who were harassed or mistreated. And I thank them, from the bottom of my heart, for speaking out,” Sanders said after a press conference about a prescription drug bill. “What they experienced was absolutely unacceptable and certainly not what a progressive campaign, or any campaign, should be about.”
“To the women in our campaign who were harassed or mistreated, I apologize,” he continued. “Our standards, our procedures, our safeguards, were clearly inadequate.”
The latest incident allegedly occurred on the night of the 2016 Democratic Convention when the female staffer says she was forcibly grabbed and kissed by her supervisor, Robert Becker.
Staffers have been coming forward in recent weeks to tell their own stories of sexual assault and harassment, and to shine a light on a campaign with a “bro” culture and little accountability. At that time, Sanders said he was unaware of the alleged events since he was “a little bit busy” campaigning.
