(LibertySons.org) – A senior White House official is facing allegations of bullying and harassment –- but staff fear nothing will be done about it. The problem is the alleged abuser is on First Lady Jill Biden’s staff and is seen as untouchable. Reports of inappropriate behavior against Anthony Bernal go back years, but it seems no action has ever been taken.
First Lady’s Controversial Helper
Although most media attention focuses on the president’s staff, their spouse also has official aides who are part of the White House team. In Jill Biden’s case, her chief aide is Anthony Bernal. The 50-year-old has a lot of influence inside the White House and in the Democratic Party and is so close to the first lady that she calls him her “work husband.”
On March 12, the New York Post reported that Bernal is notorious for bullying and sexually harassing other staff. Some of the allegations against him are recent –- but others date back to Biden’s presidential campaign and even to when he was vice president in the Obama administration. Some staff are now accusing President Biden –- who promised on his first day in office to fire staffers “on the spot” if they abused colleagues –- of hypocrisy.
Bernal’s behavior has made the news before. In August 2021, POLITICO reported staff complaints that he has a “mean streak” and is “berating” and “toxic” to other staffers. Then, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about these allegations and swerved the question, dismissing the complaints as unsubstantiated and saying she got on well with Bernal. Now, the complaints have resurfaced—and they’re a lot worse this time.
Staff Complain About Sexual Comments
Almost a dozen staffers have now told journalists about sexual harassment by Bernal. He’s allegedly speculated about the size of male staffer’s genitalia, even commenting on a “bulge” in one man’s pants. He’s discussed how attractive he finds people. Some even say that Bernal, who is openly gay, has questioned the sexuality of other male staff. One victim thinks he does it “to make people uncomfortable and to have power over them.” They added that Bernal’s behavior is “classic Me Too.”
Now, White House staff want the Biden administration to live up to its claims on protecting staff from harassment –- but there’s a problem. Bernal is famously loyal to Jill Biden, and in turn, the first lady is fully committed to her problematic staffer. In fact, when she published her memoir in 2019, only one member of her large team got a full-paragraph acknowledgment, and that was Bernal. Will our fading president have the strength to fire his wife’s favorite assistant, or will other staff just have to put up with his sex-obsessed behavior?
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
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