Recently, Connecticut Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty was exposed for shielding and supporting her former chief of staff, Tony Baker after he was accused of sexual harassment and threatening the life of another staffer. This story was first published online late last Thursday and appeared on the front page of The Washington Post the following day. The liberal major network news outlets (ABC, CBS, and NBC) ignored those revelations then, and on Monday they ignored Esty announcing that she would not seek re-election.
Esty’s announcement came amid mounting pressure for her to resign because of the scandal. “She's going, but will take her time. Connecticut Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty under fire for shielding a staffer accused of sexual harassment now says she will not run for re-election,” jabbed conservative HLN host S.E. Cupp during her show on Monday.
“In May of 2016, Anna Kain spoke with Esty about a voicemail Baker left for her in which she said, ‘you better f-ing reply to me or I will f-ing kill you,’” Cupp recapped. “She also provided detailed allegations that Baker had punched, berated, and sexually harassed her in Esty’s Capitol Hill office throughout 2014.”
“According to emails obtained by The Post, Esty found out about the episode within a week. At that point, the Connecticut Democrat took matters into her own hands,” wrote The Post Thursday. “Rather than firing or suspending Baker, the congresswoman consulted her personal attorneys and advisers, she said.”
When Esty got involved, she did everything she could for her accused chief of staff. She had him hang around for three months, had a nondisclosure agreement signed to shut people up, and gave him a nice, puffy recommendation letter and a $5,000 severance package.
Baker used that recommendation letter to get a nice job at the anti-gun lobbyist group, Sandy Hook Promise. He was “dismissed from the group” after The Post reached out for his response, according to the paper.
Cupp tore into Esty, who had been an outspoken proponent of reforming Congress’ Byzantine rules for reporting sexual harassment, for being just as responsible as the alleged abuser:
Look, Congresswoman Esty, just because you're a woman, doesn't mean you get to bow out gratefully. You're just as responsible as any other man, including Congressman John Conyers who you called for to resign. And you, and you alone, should be held accountable for wittingly shielding an abusive staffer.
“So is the decision not to seek re-election enough or does she need to go away now?” Cupp asked, harkening back to Esty’s own calls for swift resignations.
The networks’ apparent blackout of this disturbing story is just another example of them ignoring or downplaying the scandals of Democrats over those of Republicans.
Transcript below, click expand to read:
HLN
S.E. CUPP Unfiltered
April 2, 2018
5:35:04 PM EasternS.E. CUPP: She's going, but will take her time. Connecticut Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty under fire for shielding a staffer accused of sexual harassment now says she will not run for re-election. In a statement released just moments ago, Esty says, “too many women have been harmed by harassment in the workplace. In the terrible situation in my office, I could have and should have done better.”
Esty has been the target of criticism after media reports revealed that she kept her chief of staff, [Tony] Baker, on the payroll for three months after she learned of abuse allegations against him from a former staffer in her office.
In May of 2016, Anna Kain spoke with Esty about a voicemail Baker left for her in which she said, “you better f-ing reply to me or I will f-ing kill you.” She also provided detailed allegations that Baker had punched, berated, and sexually harassed her in Esty’s Capitol Hill office throughout 2014. After all this, the congresswoman got together with Baker and agreed to sign an NDA to present any farther discussion of the matter. Then she co-wrote a positive recommendation letter he could use in a job search. And gave him $5,000 severance package to boot. Hell of a deal.
Look, Congresswoman Esty, just because you're a woman, doesn't mean you get to bow out gratefully. You're just as responsible as any other man, including Congressman John Conyers who you called for to resign. And you, and you alone, should be held accountable for wittingly shielding an abusive staffer.
So is the decision
