Sen. Elizabeth Warren opened fire at fellow 2020 Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg for his company’s legal contracts that prohibit women from speaking out about their time working for him.
Bloomberg was initially asked during Wednesday’s presidential primary debate about the workplace environment of the company bearing his name as several women have spoken out on their experiences. The former New York City mayor noted how women are paid equally at his company and are given “big responsibilities.”
However, his answer was unsatisfactory to Warren, who slammed him earlier in the night over his alleged sexist remarks. She pointed out the many nondisclosure agreements between former female employees and the company.
“I hope you heard what his defense was: ‘I was nice to some women,'” Warren said. “He has gotten some number of women … to sign nondisclosure agreements both for sexual harassment and for gender discrimination in the workplace. So Mr. Mayor, are you willing to release all of those women from those nondisclosure agreements so we can hear their side of the story?”
Bloomberg acknowledged the presence of the NDAs but dismissed the accusation of sexual misconduct against him. When Warren further pressed him on how many of the agreements exist, he was unable to answer.
“The company and somebody else, in this case a man or a woman … they decided when they made an agreement that they wanted to keep it quiet for everybody’s interest. They signed the agreements, and that’s what we’re going to live with,” said Bloomberg.
“Wait, when you say it is up to — I want to be clear. ‘Some’ is how many? And when you — and when you say they signed them and they wanted them, if they wish now to speak out and tell their side of the story about what it is they alleged, that’s now okay with you? You’re releasing them on television tonight?” Warren fired back.
When the billionaire replied in the negative, the Massachusetts senator said, “You could release them from that immediately. Because understand: This is not just a question of the mayor’s character. This is also a question about electability. We are not going to beat Donald Trump with a man who has who knows how many nondisclosure agreements and the drip, drip, drip of stories of women saying they have been harassed and discriminated against.”
