White House insiders circled the wagons after the first lady’s “work husband” faced allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.
Efforts to avoid a Me Too reckoning at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue appeared fully underway after a recent report placed Jill Biden’s top adviser Anthony Bernal under fire over claims of inappropriate workplace behavior.
Now, former and current peers have stepped in as character witnesses to shield the first lady’s “untouchable,” openly gay confidant from possible backlash for the alleged behavior.
“Anthony is one of the most generous, conscientious, brilliant people working at the White House. In the 20 years I’ve known him, I’ve never heard him to make comments like the ones alleged– in fact,” one White House official told Fox News Digital, “he’s always been quite intentional and purposeful in making sure colleagues at every level feel valued and appreciated.”
Likewise, President Joe Biden’s former chief of staff Ron Klain affirmed, “I’ve worked with Anthony for almost 30 years — and I’ve always seen him act with the utmost professionalism and compassion toward his team.”
The defense of Bernal came after nearly a dozen current and former colleagues had come out against the adviser, recounting to the New York Post how he had allegedly shared theories on discerning the size of a man’s genitalia, accused a peer of having a small penis during a disagreement, asked about people’s sexuality and speculated on co-workers’ endowments.
“It is to make people uncomfortable and to have power over them,” a source had said. “It is Me Too — classic Me Too.”
Jill Biden’s ‘untouchable’ gay ‘work husband’ accused of bullying, sexual harassment https://t.co/mCBBFbEjYy via @BIZPACReview
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Still, others with longtime experience around the adviser, like a colleague of 15 years, told Fox News Digital, “The White House is a demanding workplace requiring the best efforts of all its employees, and Anthony’s leadership has helped me and many others maximize our abilities.”
“He challenged me to be better than I ever thought I could be, and as a result I’m a far better person and co-worker because of that interaction,” said the source.
An ex-staffer to Jill Biden added, “He has a good heart and always keeps the people we serve at the forefront of his decisions. As one of the youngest staff in the office, he consistently asked for and valued my perspective and contributions.”
While the president had vowed to terminate anyone he discovered that treated “another colleague with disrespect…On the spot,” a direct response to the allegations had not been offered according to Fox News which reported, “The White House and the first lady’s office did not directly answer Fox News Digital’s inquiries about whether Bernal would face an internal investigation in to the matter.”
Instead, current White House chief of staff Jeff Zients had offered a statement to the Post in line with the added defenses of Bernal: “His many fans at the White House know him to be both gracious and tough, holding himself up to the highest standards, with a heart dedicated to public service. It is disappointing that he is the target of unfounded attacks from unnamed sources.”
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Author: Kevin Haggerty
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