Hillary Clinton Reportedly Refused to Fire an Adviser Accused of Sexual Harassment

Hillary Clinton refused to fire a top adviser after he’d been accused of sexual harassment by another member of her staff, the New York Times reported on Friday.

Burns Strider, who served as Clinton’s “faith adviser” during her 2008 presidential campaign, was accused of inappropriately touching an unnamed female co-worker with whom he shared an office. Strider also allegedly sent a number of suggestive emails to the woman, prompting her to complain to Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle. Doyle brought the allegations to Clinton and urged the candidate to fire Strider, who, the Times noted, was “married at the time.”

Instead, Clinton reportedly had Strider’s pay docked temporarily and ordered him to undergo an unspecified type of counseling. The woman who initially made the complaint was also reassigned to a new position.

Neither Doyle nor Strider replied to the Times’ request for comment, while a Clinton spokesperson supplied a statement from the law firm which represented the campaign at the time:

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. This complaint was no exception.

According to the Times, Strider later joined Correct The Record, a political group that strongly supported Clinton’s 2016 campaign, founded by longtime Clinton associate and confidant David Brock. He was subsequently removed from his role there after being accused of harassing a young female coworker.

The news is yet another reminder that sexual harassment—and the covering up of sexual harassment by those in power—is an endemic, universal issue, not a partisan one.