EXCLUSIVE: The inner circle and former colleagues of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden rallied to the defense of a top aide accused of sexual harassment in statements provided to Fox News Digital.
Nearly a dozen current and former colleagues of Anthony Bernal, assistant to the president and top adviser to the first lady, have alleged that he has a long history of bullying and verbal sexual harassment, including speculation about employees' penis sizes at workplaces. conversations. , which one individual described as an attempt to “make people uncomfortable and have power over them.”
Anonymous employees told the New York Post, which first reported the allegations, that they were brought forward in hopes that Bernal would be held accountable for his actions. Some, however, were skeptical and called him “untouchable” because of his closeness to the first lady.
The White House and the first lady's office did not directly respond to Fox News Digital's inquiries about whether Bernal would face an internal investigation into the matter. Instead, current and former members of Biden's inner circle and Bernal's former coworkers provided statements to Fox News Digital defending his character in an attempt to counter the employees' allegations.
FORMER BIDEN TOP AIDE CONFIRMS REPORTS OF ALLEGED INTIMIDATION AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF STAFF BY WHI OFFICIAL
Annie Tomasini, Director of Oval Office Operations, and Anthony Bernal, Advisor to the First Lady, follow US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on February 16, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Biden is visiting East Palestine, Ohio, to mark one year since the Norfolk Southern train derailment. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Anthony is one of the most generous, conscientious and brilliant people working in the White House,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “In the 20 years I have known him, I have never heard him make comments such as those alleged – in fact, he has always been quite intentional and determined in ensuring that colleagues at all levels feel valued and appreciated.”
“I have worked with Anthony for almost 30 years, and I have 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.
Several other former teammates of Bernal also defended him. A former staffer in the first lady's office who worked with him during the first two years of the Biden administration said they have “a lot of respect for him as a leader and 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 employees in the office, he consistently asked for and valued my perspective and contributions.”
Another person, who said he has worked closely with Bernal for nearly 30 years in government and the private sector, said he routinely supports his coworkers “and pushes them to exceed their own expectations to achieve extraordinary results.”
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS GATHER AROUND GOLD STAR FATHER ARRESTED AFTER MAKING OFFER IN SOTU
Anthony Bernal, assistant to the president and senior advisor to the first lady, is seen outside Saint Edmond Roman Catholic Church waiting for President Joe Biden to leave after attending mass in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on August 12, 2023 Biden will spend the weekend at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“At the same time, he relentlessly exemplifies that family comes first and that the highest form of public service is to find more to give,” they added. “Anthony's expectations are high, but his grace is even greater. He is truly the epitome of a public servant leader.”
Another longtime colleague, who said he had known and worked with Bernal for more than 15 years, said they had never heard him “utter an inappropriate word to anyone, ever.”
“The White House is a demanding workplace that requires the best efforts of all its employees, and Anthony's leadership has helped me and many others maximize our capabilities,” they said. “He challenged me to be better than I ever thought I could be, and as a result, I am a much better person and coworker because of that interaction.”
The New York Post reported last week that allegations against Bernal, who is openly gay, included him sharing his opinion with staff that the size of a person's thumb correlates with the size of their penis. He supposedly did so in the current White House, in previous positions in the Biden campaign and during Biden's vice presidency.
“It's to make people uncomfortable and have power over them,” a source told the Post. “It's Me Too, the classic Me Too.”
Additional sources told the Post that Bernal told a colleague that he had a small penis during a disagreement. In another episode, he commented on an “employee bulge in his khaki pants.”
HUR INSISTS HE 'DID NOT EXONERATE' BIDEN, REPEATEDLY SHUTTING DOWN DEMOCRATIC CHARACTERIZATIONS
First Lady Jill Biden speaks with her senior advisor Anthony Bernal before a speech at the Carondelet Palace in Quito, Ecuador, on May 19, 2022. (ERIN SCHAFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“It was a lot of inappropriate comments: talking about other people's attractiveness and speculating about their sex life at very strange times,” the source told the Post. “That's actually sexual harassment.”
Sources also said Bernal routinely questioned people's sexuality and tried to pry into their personal lives.
Following the report, a former top Biden aide, who wished to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital that the allegations contained in the Post report aligned with what they experienced while working in the administration.
“I'm surprised it took so many employees this long to speak out,” they said. “I wouldn't be surprised if this empowers current and past staff to move forward.”
The former aide also believed that “a dozen sources seem enough to trigger that kind of internal investigation.”
Biden, meanwhile, has said he would not tolerate such actions within his orbit.
On his first day in office, Biden said he would not tolerate disrespectful employees in his orbit. (Associated Press)
“I'm not kidding when I say this: If you ever work with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect or talk down to someone, I promise you that I will fire you on the spot,” Biden said on his first day. in the office. “On the spot. No ifs or buts.”
The White House and the first lady's office did not respond to whether they believe Bernal's alleged actions violated Biden's pledge.
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The Bidens indirectly addressed the issue through a statement from the president's chief of staff, Jeff Zeints, who told the Post that he and the Bidens have “full confidence in Anthony's character.”
“His many supporters in the White House know that he is kind and tough, that he holds himself to the highest standards and that he has a heart dedicated to public service,” Zients said. “It is disappointing that it is the target of unfounded attacks from anonymous sources.”
