Hillary Clinton reportedly protected a male staffer accused of sexual harassment in her 2008 campaign

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 26 January 2018

Hillary Clinton, over the advice of staff, chose to retain a top aide to her 2008 presidential campaign despite a fellow staffer leveling multiple allegations of sexual harassment against him, The New York Times reported Friday. The aide, Burns Strider, was Clinton's faith adviser during her first presidential run.

Clinton's 2008 campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle apparently implored the candidate to dismiss Strider, who was accused by a 30-year-old woman working on the campaign of "[rubbing] her shoulders inappropriately, [kissing] her on the forehead, and [sending] her a string of suggestive emails," The New York Times reported. But Clinton "said she did not want to" fire Strider, the Times reported, and he instead was kept on the team but forfeited "several weeks of pay" and was made to seek counseling. The woman who made the complaints — who had shared an office with Strider — "was moved to a new job," the Times said.

Both the woman who made the claims against Strider, as well as Solis Doyle, declined to comment to the Times. Strider did not respond to a request for comment. When reached by the Times, a spokesman for Clinton offered a statement from the law firm that represented her 2008 campaign: "To ensure a safe working environment, the campaign had a process to address complaints of misconduct or harassment. When matters arose, they were reviewed in accordance with these policies, and appropriate action was taken. This complaint was no exception."