Regardless of party, double standards on sexual harassment are still annoying

All three men have been alleged to have committed various stages of sexual crimes — everything from indecent exposure to groping to rape. In all three cases, women have come forward in various ways. Some through attorneys and press conferences, others through signed affidavits which were then leaked to news outlets. It’s unclear right now if any of these men have committed crimes and must be prosecuted. What is clear is that all men are alleged to have committed a crime to some degree and the response toward what should happen has shifted based on expertise and party affiliation.

While on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Chuck Todd asked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., about allegations all these men are facing and, as a woman and politician, what should be done. Her answer was a study in double standards.

Judge Moore has been eviscerated in the press and among colleagues on both sides of the political aisle, based on the Washington Post piece which revealed the allegations against him. Pelosi called him a “child molester” and even alluded that many women have said “bad things” about President Trump — alluding to possible sexual crimes. Yet, when asked about Franken and Conyers, Pelosi was quick to say there was a difference between what Franken is alleged to have done and Moore. On Conyers, Pelosi said,

We are strengthened by due process. Just because someone is accused — and was it one accusation? Is it two? I think there has to be — John Conyers is an icon in our country. He has done a great deal to protect women — Violence Against Women Act, which the left — right-wing — is now quoting me as praising him for his work on that, and he did great work on that. But the fact is, as John reviews his case, which he knows, which I don’t, I believe he will do the right thing.

I would agree with Pelosi that the allegations against all three men are different, that there appear to be varying degrees of evidence, and if all three crimes are proven, there would be different consequences. That said, it’s clear Pelosi’s double standard has nothing to do with the allegations — if anything, the allegations against Moore and Conyers seem the most similar — and has everything to do with political ideology.

While Pelosi immediately asserts that surely Moore must be a child molester, she comments Conyers is an “icon” and the allegations against him sound thin. She mentions due process, but doesn’t support it for all three men — something they and their accusers deserve. I agree it’s obvious the men accused are all alleged to have done varying degrees of sexual impropriety. But meanwhile, Franken is returning to work in the Senate on Monday, Moore continues to bat off his accusers ahead of the Dec. 12 election, and Conyers is taking a break from committee leadership but still serving in Congress while being investigated. All because of political affiliation: That’s the ultimate double standard.

When it comes to women, protecting women, and keeping politicians who are ethical and duty-minded in office so they can do their jobs, it’s imperative politicians like Pelosi maintain the same standard for everyone. If a woman who once asserted rolling back Title IX was “a shocking attack on women” can’t turn around and remain firm on the idea of due process for any man or woman in office, regardless of party, that double standard will only continue to hurt the very women (and men) she wants to protect.

Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator’s Young Journalist Award.

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