Mike Bloomberg, in launching his first presidential campaign, is facing revived allegations of crude and sexist remarks to women in his office.
Michael Bloomberg facing new accusations of being racially out of touchOlivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Imageshas on repeated occasions faced and fought allegations that he directed crude and sexist comments to women in his office, including a claim in the 1990s that he told an employee who had just announced she was pregnant to"kill it."
The comments attributed to Bloomberg in court records are echoed in a gift book he received from colleagues in 1990: a compilation of his alleged quotes. The booklet contained alleged comments such as,"Make the customer think he’s getting laid when he’s getting [expletive]," and, “If women wanted to be appreciated for their brains, they’d go to the library instead of to Bloomingdales.” The booklet received media attention a decade later when he ran for mayor of New York.
Former New York Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg steps off a bus as he arrives to visit a closed energy plant during a campaign event in Alexandria, Va., Dec, 13, 2019.In recent days, Bloomberg and his staff have begun to acknowledge that, in the midst of theof the #MeToo era, he will have to address these allegations as he seeks the Democratic nomination for president.
The challenge confronting Bloomberg will be especially acute as he tries to court Democratic primary voters, said Michele Swers, a professor of American government at Georgetown University. A spokesperson for Bloomberg LP denied allegations of gender discrimination, citing the company's efforts to promote women into executive positions and improve benefits for women, especially in recent years, such as a new a policy instituted earlier this year to allow a 26-week maternity leave.
Former New York Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg arrives to speak about his plan for clean energy during a campaign event at the Blackwall Hitch restaurant in Alexandria, Va., Dec. 13, 2019. The dozen legal complaints over the years include multiple specific allegations of crude statements by Bloomberg himself in the 1990s. In one case, he is alleged to have told a female employee, regarding her boyfriend, to,"Keep him happy with a good [oral sex]."
The allegations are echoed in a booklet, presented to Bloomberg as a gag gift at a 1990 office party, memorialized over 32 pages a compilation of crude, and at times sexist, remarks he is alleged to have made openly during his early years at the helm of the company. ABC News has obtained one of the few original copies of the book.
"[Sakai] thought [Bloomberg] would be pleased that she was pregnant," Josephs, the lawyer who initially represented Sakai in the case, told ABC News.Josephs recalled that Sakai"said she felt very distressed" by Bloomberg’s reaction and it"really upset her emotionally." Bloomberg’s alleged remark, Josephs said, reflected a"locker room atmosphere that was a sexually harassing atmosphere.
Josephs said she believes the record of allegations against Bloomberg undermines the credibility of his denials.
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