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A senior adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign accused of sexually harassing a young aide was kept on the team at Clinton's request, The New York Times reported Friday, citing four sources with knowledge of the situation.
The Times report says Clinton's campaign manager recommended the adviser, Burns Strider, be removed but that Strider instead underwent counseling and received reduced pay for several weeks. The young woman was moved to a different position.
Strider, a faith adviser to Clinton who founded the Christian lobbying group American Values Network, sent Clinton daily scriptures for several months during her first presidential bid, the report says.
In 2013, he was selected to lead Correct the Record, an independent pro-Clinton group. He was fired several months later after allegations that he sexually harassed a young female staffer there, The Times reported, citing three people close to the group's management.
In a statement to The Times, Clinton's legal representatives did not deny the harassment allegations or reporting that Clinton rejected the advice of her campaign manager.
"To ensure a safe working environment, the campaign had a process to address complaints of misconduct or harassment. When matters arose, they were reviewed in accordance with these policies, and appropriate action was taken," the statement said. "This complaint was no exception."
The Times said former Clinton associates had been reluctant to discuss the allegations and the campaign's reaction but were doing so now in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which seeks to expose widespread sexual misconduct in powerful industries.
Clinton has been heavily criticized for her past relationship with Harvey Weinstein, the film mogul who donated millions of dollars to Democratic organizations, including Clinton's campaign, and was the subject of several prominent news reports last year detailing accusations of sexual harassment and assault spanning decades.
Clinton said in October that she was "shocked and appalled" by the allegations against Weinstein, whom she has known for decades.
The Times reported last year that both the actress and writer Lena Dunham and the Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown had warned members of Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign about her association with Weinstein. The campaign denied that it had received warnings about Weinstein.
The Times report says Clinton's campaign manager recommended the adviser, Burns Strider, be removed but that Strider instead underwent counseling and received reduced pay for several weeks. The young woman was moved to a different position.
Strider, a faith adviser to Clinton who founded the Christian lobbying group American Values Network, sent Clinton daily scriptures for several months during her first presidential bid, the report says.
In 2013, he was selected to lead Correct the Record, an independent pro-Clinton group. He was fired several months later after allegations that he sexually harassed a young female staffer there, The Times reported, citing three people close to the group's management.
In a statement to The Times, Clinton's legal representatives did not deny the harassment allegations or reporting that Clinton rejected the advice of her campaign manager.
"To ensure a safe working environment, the campaign had a process to address complaints of misconduct or harassment. When matters arose, they were reviewed in accordance with these policies, and appropriate action was taken," the statement said. "This complaint was no exception."
The Times said former Clinton associates had been reluctant to discuss the allegations and the campaign's reaction but were doing so now in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which seeks to expose widespread sexual misconduct in powerful industries.
Clinton has been heavily criticized for her past relationship with Harvey Weinstein, the film mogul who donated millions of dollars to Democratic organizations, including Clinton's campaign, and was the subject of several prominent news reports last year detailing accusations of sexual harassment and assault spanning decades.
Clinton said in October that she was "shocked and appalled" by the allegations against Weinstein, whom she has known for decades.
The Times reported last year that both the actress and writer Lena Dunham and the Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown had warned members of Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign about her association with Weinstein. The campaign denied that it had received warnings about Weinstein.
