Something interesting was left out of a Washington Post report on embattled Rep. Pat Meehan’s, R-Pa., removal from the House Ethics Committee.
The New York Times reported on Saturday that Meehan used taxpayer money to settle a complaint from a former staffer who accused him of making unwanted advances, which was of even greater interest given that he sat on the committee tasked with overseeing similar misconduct investigations. The Washington Post subsequently reported on the news later that day, breaking down the allegations in the New York Times article.
But one detail didn’t make it from the first report into the second — Meehan’s marital status.
Nowhere in the Washington Post’s report is it noted that Meehan stands accused of “profess[ing] his romantic desires” for a much younger staffer despite being married with three children.
This isn’t to single out the Washington Post’s report. A Politico write-up did the same. In fact, the reason this seems relevant at all is that since #MeToo kicked off, several reports of misconduct have omitted or downplayed the marital status of accused predators.
The first time this struck me was in Vox’s report on Glenn Thrush, which in 3,000 words on his alleged habit of coming onto younger female coworkers mentioned Thrush’s marriage only once, in the form of a quote from a source.
The New York Times’ excellent report on the disturbing sexual misconduct allegations against powerful fashion photographers Bruce Weber and Mario Testino published last week mentioned Weber’s wife once, but only because an accuser sued a company the couple runs together.
For the many women (and men) who experience workplace harassment and misconduct at the hands of married men, along with the spouses of abusers, that detail is far from insignificant and can create much more pain and conflict.
It’s worth at least wondering why some reports have downplayed or left it out altogether.
