On Monday, a male reporter asked the female White House press secretary in front of millions of television viewers to say whether she has ever been sexually harassed.
That reporter, Brian Karem, is the White House correspondent for Playboy as well as a contributor to CNN, and that press secretary, Sarah Sanders, is routinely and savagely mocked for her physical appearance.
“Have you ever been sexually harassed? And I’m not saying by the president, I’m saying ever,” Karem inquired. “And secondly, do you have an empathy for those who come forward, because it’s very difficult for women to come forward?”
Despite being asked to discuss a sensitive personal matter in front of millions of viewers — one that’s often associated with trauma — Sanders responded capably.
“I absolutely would say that I have an empathy for any individual who has been sexually harassed, and that certainly would be the policy of the White House,” said the press secretary. “I’m not here to speak about my personal experience on that front, but I’m here to relay information on behalf of the president and that’s what I’m focused on doing here today.”
Sanders, of course, has eagerly taken up the task of defending a president who faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against his accusers. I fail to see why that makes it acceptable or even laudable for a male reporter to confront her with a question about her personal experiences on a delicate topic outside of her work for the president in front of a national audience (let alone a male reporter for Playboy). In fact, you could almost — almost — call it sexual harassment.
In defending Trump, Sanders has not forfeited her right to cope with any potential sexual harassment privately and on her own terms.
The job of the White House press corps is to confront representatives of the administration with the toughest imaginable questions — holding the powerful accountable and fostering transparency for the benefit of the public. Asking a female press secretary to speak to her personal experiences with sexual harassment on national television does not fall within the scope of that mission, even if she has rebutted accusations made against the president. To the contrary, the question looked opportunistic and exploitative, and the same would apply if Al Franken were president and his press secretary fell into a similar position.
Nevertheless, shortly after the briefing Karem appeared on CNN where he was commended by anchor Brooke Baldwin for having asked Sanders a “great question.”
