Al Green Issues Joint Statement About Sexual Misconduct that’s Less “Out of the Blue” than It Seems.
For a matter that was supposedly “resolved years ago,” Al Green sure made it seem as if the matter at hand still disturbs his sleep at night. The Democratic Representative from Texas delivered an impromptu joint statement with former colleague Lucinda Daniels, absolving himself of earlier allegations of sexual assault.
It so happens that Daniels is the woman who accused Green of sexual misconduct for an incident that allegedly occurred in 2007. In the joint statement, both Green and Daniels declared the matter resolved. Rumors claim that Green paid an undisclosed sum to expedite, as it were, that resolution. (Source: “We are friends”: Rep. Al Green’s bizarre attempt to get ahead of sexual misconduct allegations, Vox, November 27, 2017.)
Advertisement
Saying they’re still friends, they decided to suffocate any possible rumors before they had a chance to emerge from the depths.
What’s remarkable is not the joint statement itself. Green and Daniels may truly have remained friends after resolving the matter amicably. Rather, what’s interesting is the timing of their joint statement, especially in the wake of similar allegations and cases, which have unraveled the careers of Democratic Senator Al Franken (Minnesota) and Democratic Representative John Conyers (Michigan).
The U.S. Congress Office of Compliance has paid some $17.2 million (which naturally comes courtesy of taxpayers) to settle 264 settlements for violations involving federal employees, many of which related to sexual harassment. (Source: “Over the past 20 years, Congress has paid $17.2 million in settlements,” The Washington Post, November 17, 2017.)
Truly, this is one example of your tax dollars hard at work.
Al Green’s Statement Is Hypocritical but It’s also Anything but Bizarre
Al Green seems to have adopted a variant of the adage “if you can’t beat them, join them.” Accuse yourself before anyone else has a chance to do it for you.
Given the amount of money that taxpayers have shelled out to compensate victims of “dedicated” servers of the people, perhaps it would be worthwhile to offer incoming and longstanding politicians a complimentary screening of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as part of an orientation session. You know, just to remind them of what they should be ideally be doing in the Capitol. It’s not the Oval Office after all…
Of course, the politicians who do step forward, regardless of whether they have settled their misconduct accusations, will face much lower chances of re-election. Only those who can claim to be truly innocent could emerge unscathed. People like Green have exposed themselves to public scrutiny. Given Green’s own propensity to accuse and to demand impeachment (and then some), he should consider the appropriate retirement location and facility, because the chances of him winning again in the next mid-term vote have just become slimmer.
President Donald Trump has weighed in on the Al Franken misconduct claims. Apart from calling him “Al Frankenstein,” he tweeted:
.And to think that just last week he was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women. Lesley Stahl tape?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2017
Taxpayers Could Benefit from More Pre-Emptive Statements
Many have spoken of Al Green’s statement as bizarre. It might, however, be the smartest and best approach to tackle this problem, if the allegations have already run the appropriate legal course (and of course, if the alleged victims agree that a settlement was reached).
Given the present climate, many more accusations will surface. Some will be resolved, but they risk being bundled in with the fresh ones. In the case of Congress, this could mean that taxpayers will end up having to pay the legal fees to manage new and old cases.
Meanwhile, adopting the pre-emptive “self-strike” approach on a wider scale would be the ideal way to resolve the litany of sexual misconduct. These recent accusations started in the world of Hollywood, and have since been spreading to every other sector of society.
The alternative would be a “witch hunt” that could implicate the truly innocent and exonerate the truly guilty (with the right legal assistance), and it would have to take a place in line behind all the other cases. Indeed, Green has some experience in witch hunts. He was the first to call for President Trump’s impeachment after the latter fired FBI Director James Comey—and with “a heavy heart” no less. (Source: “Read Rep. Al Green’s Speech Calling for President Trump’s Impeachment,” Time, May 17, 2017.)
Congress is considering revising its policies on the way it tackles sexual harassment and assault on Capitol Hill. Sexual harassment training will become mandatory for all Senators, and the House has introduced bipartisan legislation to address sexual harassment in Congress: the Member and Employee Training and Oversight On (ME TOO) Congress Act. (Source: “Texas Democrat Al Green and former employee sign joint statement about relationship,” CBS, November 28, 2017.)
The mea culpa approach that Al Green has taken may divert media attention away from him in the longer term. But it will perhaps also prevent or silence his efforts to impeach President Trump. Lest Green could remind others in Congress that they have the grounds to turn those calls against himself. Green’s action has not absolved him of culpability. It has merely shown that he has already addressed that culpability and that probably he should not be occupying a seat in the U.S. Congress.
