Media Ignored Schumer Sex Scandal

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It looks like there is trouble in the land of Schumer. Recently, it was reported that a top official in Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) office resigned in November over yet another #MeToo situation. Oddly enough, there were no news reports about the official’s sudden departure last year, which begs the question: Why now? 

After all, had Schumer an “R” next to his name, would the press have waited this long to dig into the matter? It seems that whenever a prominent Republican engages in inappropriate sexual behavior, the media pounce on the opportunity to give the scandal wall-to-wall coverage. But in this case, they exhibited an alarming lack of curiosity.

Sex Scandal in Schumer’s Office

In November 2018, Matt House, who served as Schumer’s communications director, announced that he was stepping down after the midterm elections. His departure raised questions, given the fact that he was not moving to another position in a party that has a chance to retake the Senate in 2020. In an early February piece for the Huffington Post, journalist Yashar Ali revealed that House’s resignation was not voluntary; he was forced to step down for “allegedly having inappropriate sexual encounters with junior staffers.”

Ali’s sources — who remain anonymous — stated that House was “asked to leave” after some staff members expressed discomfort with his behavior. In a text message, House gave his statement to the Huffington Post:

“I absolutely loved my time working in the Senate and it was the honor of my life. I deeply regret the mistakes I made on the number of occasions when I had too much to drink, and I apologize to anyone who was affected by my behavior. I have always respected all of my colleagues and I was horrified to learn that I made anyone feel uncomfortable. In the past three months, I’ve stopped drinking and I’ve committed to making myself a better colleague and person.”

Well, that’s pretty reassuring, isn’t it? Nevertheless, it’s worth noting the time gap between the story breaking and House’s resignation.

Media Silence

The past few years have seen numerous sex scandals involving both Democratic and Republican leaders. But when are such controversies that involve conservatives ignored?

When Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced that he intended to run for Speaker of the House, it didn’t take long for the press to bring forth salacious accusations against the lawmaker. Some accused Jordan of ignoring rampant sexual assault when he was a wrestling coach at Ohio State University. Even though a number of wrestlers who attended the college at the time defended Jordan, the media kept the story in the spotlight.

Rep. Trent Franks came under fire after reports of inappropriate behavior with female staffers surfaced. The former lawmaker asked two female staffers to act as surrogates for him and his wife because they could not have children. He also attempted to persuade another female staffer that she was in love with him. This was another story that the media did not choose to bury.

To be fair, the press has covered scandals involving Democratic leaders, but it is difficult to imagine the media waiting two months to report a controversial story involving a Republican. Apparently, left-leaning media do not consider these issues as serious when the story centers on Democrats. Perhaps all sex scandals are not created equal?