Jake Tapper: It's 'morally bankrupt' to be outraged over Harvey Weinstein but not Trump, and vice versa

Jake Tapper tackles selective moral outrage

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/CNN)

last updated 11 October 2017

On Tuesday, former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton joined the growing list of people announcing their disgust over Hollywood producer and Democratic donor Harvey Weinstein's decades of alleged sexual harassment. Republicans had been pressing Clinton for a response, but "we have counted at least 11 women who have accused President Trump of sexual harassment or sexual assault on the record," Jake Tapper said on CNN's The Lead. "These women deserve our attention, too, even as those close to the president try to suggest otherwise."

Tapper played a clip of RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel telling Wolf Blitzer on Monday that it was unfair and disrespectful to compare the Weinstein and Trump allegations because Trump "didn't have women coming forward." "Yeah, he did," Tapper said. "He had lots of women coming forward."

"Those who express outrage at one sexual harasser and not another because of the first harasser's political views?" he said. "That is morally bankrupt." Sean Hannity made a similar "cogent point" about selective moral outrage by Democrats, Tapper said, but Hannity "hosted sexual harasser Bill O'Reilly on his show two weeks ago. ... Look, this shouldn't be hard, and it shouldn't be partisan," he said. Whether it's Weinstein or Trump or Roger Ailes or Bill Cosby, "these allegations are worthy of reporting and outrage." Watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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