Does #MeToo movement have double standard based on politics?
Fox News contributors Lisa Boothe and Jessica Tarlov discuss allegations against NY Gov. Cuomo on 'The Story'
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Justice Brett Kavanaugh were both accused of sexual misconduct without evidence, but the mainstream media only cared about one of the stories and critics believe this is simply the latest example of bias against conservatives.
New York City politico Lindsey Boylan alleged on Twitter Sunday that Cuomo "sexually harassed me for years," but the story has been largely ignored by the mainstream media.
MAINSTREAM MEDIA IGNORES SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST GOV. ANDREW CUOMO
Boylan, who describes herself as a progressive on her Twitter account, worked for the governor's administration from 2015 to 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile. The way the media has handled her claims is in stark contrast to the way Christine Blasey Ford’s claims against then-Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh were treated.
While NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and MSNBC have skipped Boylan’s claims against the "Love Gov," they ran with non-stop coverage of Ford’s allegations in 2018 as Senate Democrats used it as the basis to oppose his confirmation.
Speaking on "The Story" Tuesday night, Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe said the media "ran with every allegation" against Kavanaugh despite information that called some of the claims into question, while Cuomo's accuser has been comparatively ignored.
NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck told Fox News the "double standard here is glaring as the press have failed in both cases."
"In the Kavanaugh case, they threw facts and verification out the window in a way that would have yielded an F if this was a school essay," Houck said.
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"[With Cuomo], they've failed to apply said standard they've set without acknowledging their hypocrisy," Houck continued. "In addition to his bluster and failure to grasp both facts and human decency amid this pandemic, he's being floated as a possible Biden attorney general, so the imperative to vet him couldn't be any higher."
However, Houck doesn’t expect Cuomo’s background to be probed as he feels that "coziness over curiosity is the new M.O. for" for many media members.
Ford’s claims dominated the news cycle for more than a month, as liberals fought to keep Kavanaugh off the Supreme Court to no avail. DePauw University professor and media critic Jeffrey McCall believes the way claims against Cuomo have been dismissed is a clear example of widespread media bias.
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"This ignoring of the allegations against Cuomo is further evidence of the traditional media's commitment to pick predetermined narratives and then run with them regardless of whatever information emerges," McCall told Fox News.
"Cuomo became the media's darling to counter Trump during the early months of the COVID crisis. In spite of his spotty performance, Cuomo was viewed by the media as doing things right during COVID while Trump was characterized as the bungler," McCall said, noting that the New York governor is now "a leading personality in Democrat circles" who is beloved by the liberal press.
FORMER AIDE SAYS CUOMO SEXUALLY HARASSED HER 'FOR YEARS'
"The media is not willing to let Cuomo's prominence be disrupted by looking into harassment allegations," McCall added.
"If these harassment allegations got traction, the media would have more difficulty cheerleading Cuomo as a Cabinet pick or future presidential candidate. None of this is to say the allegations are true, just that the media should pause to give them sensible scrutiny."
Much like Boylan’s claim against Cuomo has been ignored, Tara Reade was also rarely covered by the mainstream media when she made sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden earlier this year.
Much like Kavanaugh and Biden did, Cuomo has denied all claims.
"I heard about the tweet and what it said about comments that I had made. And it’s not true. Look, I fought for and I believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion … But it’s just not true," Cuomo said Monday during a news conference.
Ironically, Cuomo once called Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court a "sad day for this country" after he was accused of sexual misconduct without evidence by Ford.
"The allegations of sexual assault against Judge Kavanaugh are disturbing and deeply concerning. I call on the Senate to postpone any vote until the allegations are fully investigated," Cuomo wrote on Facebook in 2018.
Rep. Elisa Stefanik, R-N.Y., is seeking to do what the mainstream media appears hesitant to and look into Boylan’s claims.
"I am publicly calling for an independent investigation into the serious allegations of pervasive workplace sexual harassment & verbal abuse by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The people of New York deserve a Governor who lives up to his own public statements on sexual harassment," Stefanik wrote Monday to kick off a lengthy Twitter thread that put a spotlight on Cuomo’s past quotes about women.
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Despite Stefanik's efforts, Cornell Law School professor and media critic William A. Jacobson isn’t surprised that the New York governor has gotten a pass on his own alleged skeletons.
"Mainstream liberal media buries potentially damaging sexual harassment claims against favored Democratic politicians. In other news, water is wet," Jacobson told Fox News.
Fox News’ Evie Fordham and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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