Amid the many fulsome tributes to former President George H. W. Bush, who died Friday at 94, some coverage was less laudatory.
The claims he had groped eight women that came to light toward the end of his life were highlighted in a piece on Vox, in which journalist and #MeToo accuser Laura McGann argued they were a part of evaluating the 41st president’s legacy.
“Sexual harassment or assault can’t be bracketed off as part of a politician’s private life. It’s an important part of the story of their leadership, their use of power, and their policy. The same is true for Bush,” wrote McGann, who has written extensively on the #MeToo movement aimed at holding powerful men accountable for sexual misdeeds..
McGann wrote about allegations of sexual misconduct by journalist Glenn Thrush — including her own experience of harassment — that led to him being suspended by the New York Times for two months and moved from his job covering the White House.
“Discussing Bush’s alleged behavior is not speaking ill of him. It’s not a slight or a smear. It’s part of his legacy, whether or not we like it,” McGann wrote in her article on the late president.
The eight women came forward in 2017, though one of the accusations dates back to 1992. A Bush spokesman attributed the alleged groping to Bush’s wheelchair use, saying his arm fell on the lower waist of people he took pictures with, saying the former president “patted women’s rears in what he intended to be in a good-natured manner” and offered his apologies.
Similarly, a piece on Slate highlighted the lack of coverage the accusations in coverage of the 94-year-old’s death, pointing out that while many obituaries praised his 73-year marriage to Barbara Bush, few mentioned the allegations of groping.
McGann’s lengthy discussion of the accusations and Bush’s legacy also drew a parallel between Bush’s appointment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, whose confirmation hearings were nearly derailed by Anita Hill’s accusation he sexually harassed her at work, and that of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
“The Thomas confirmation battle could have been a turning point in American history, one where women’s rights in the workplace and in the public square vaulted forward. Instead, Bush chose to side with a man who multiple women described harassing them. He sent a message to America that women should not be believed,” wrote McGann.
That, she said, set the stage for the confirmation fight over Kavanaugh, who was narrowly confirmed despite accusations of sexual assault, including by California professor Christine Blasey Ford.
“As we assess his contributions, it’s worth remembering he chose to use that power against half of us,” she wrote.
