The White House of President Joe Biden is currently facing a significant challenge related to the #MeToo movement. Individuals from President Biden’s close circle and former colleagues of First Lady Jill Biden are uniting to provide assistance to a senior staff member who has been accused of sexual harassment, as highlighted by the New York Post.
“Nearly a dozen current and former colleagues of Anthony Bernal, an assistant to the president and top aide to the first lady, have alleged he has a long-running history of bullying and verbal sexual harassment, including speculating on the penis sizes of staffers in conversations, which one individual described as an attempt ‘to make people feel uncomfortable and have power over them,’” Fox News reported.
The unidentified workers informed the New York Post that they decided to speak up hoping that Bernal would be held accountable for his actions. However, due to his close relationship with the first lady, some individuals doubted the possibility of him facing consequences and labeled him as “untouchable.”
As for the possibility of an internal inquiry into Bernal’s conduct, both the White House and the First Lady’s office chose not to directly address inquiries from Fox News Digital. In response to the allegations put forth by the employees, former and current associates of Biden, as well as former colleagues of Bernal, provided statements to Fox News in defense of his character.
“Anthony is one of the most generous, conscientious, and brilliant people working at the White House,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “In the 20 years I’ve known him, I’ve never heard him to make comments like the ones alleged– in fact, he’s always been quite intentional and purposeful in making sure colleagues at every level feel valued and appreciated.”
“I’ve worked with Anthony for almost 30 years — and I’ve always seen him act with the utmost professionalism and compassion toward his team,” Biden’s former chief of staff, Ron Klain, told Fox News Digital.
Biden inner circle rallies to defense of senior aide accused of sexual harassment https://t.co/T6EwaVu6qq #FoxNews
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) March 18, 2024
Several of Bernal’s former colleagues also stood by his side. Throughout the initial two years of Biden’s presidency, he collaborated with a staff member from the office of a former first lady, who conveyed a significant amount of admiration for him as both a leader and a colleague.
“He has a good heart and always keeps the people we serve at the forefront of his decisions,” they said. “As one of the youngest staff in the office, he consistently asked for and valued my perspective and contributions.”
Bernal consistently provides assistance to his coworkers and motivates them to surpass their own expectations in order to achieve exceptional outcomes, as stated by an individual who has collaborated closely with him for almost three decades across various industries.
“All the while, he relentlessly exemplifies that family comes first, and the highest form of public service is to find more to give,” they added. “Anthony’s expectations are set high, but his grace is even higher. He is truly the epitome of a public servant-leader.”
A different coworker, who claimed to have a 15-year history of knowing and collaborating with Bernal, mentioned that they have never witnessed him using any inappropriate language towards anyone.
“The White House is a demanding workplace requiring the best efforts of all its employees, and Anthony’s leadership has helped me and many others maximize our abilities,” they said. “He challenged me to be better than I ever thought I could be, and as a result, I’m a far better person and co-worker because of that interaction.”