House

Dem Rep: ‘Prominent’ historical figure tried to put his hand up my skirt in the 80s

by Julia Manchester - 11/17/17 8:35 AM ET

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) shared her “Me Too” story on Friday, revealing that a “prominent” historical figure tried to put his hand up her skirt decades ago.

When asked by CNN’s Alisyn Camerota if she had any “Me Too” stories, Dingell replied: “I have too many of them.”

She then recalled an evening in the ’80s when a man made unwanted advances on her at a dinner party, despite the fact that she was married.

“I was in a first-year marriage so it tells you how long ago it was. Historical figure. The hand kept going up my leg. I took it off. A woman member recognized what was happening and got up from the table and said, ‘Switch places.’ You know, we watch out for each other,” Dingell recalled on CNN’s “New Day.

“He would be aggressive, not only towards me. Everybody on Capitol Hill knew it. I just happened to be one of these people. I was with a prominent historical person, and I’m not going to name who this person is,” she continued. “And that’s part of the problem. A lot of women don’t have the courage because even though they have the ‘Me Too’ story, there are consequences.”

“Everybody at my office knew, and the minute we were at a social setting, somebody would move in to protect me so I’d never be alone,” she said.

Dingell’s comments come as women across the country are coming forward to accuse high-power, influential men in various industries of sexual assault. Many of the revelations stem from the “Me Too” social media campaign, which encourages women to share their stories of sexual harassment or assault to highlight how prevalent the issue is.

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) was the latest figure to be accused on Thursday, when a radio host accused Franken of kissing and groping her without her consent in 2006.

Multiple women in Congress have spoken out in recent days, saying they have been victims of sexual harassment, prompting lawmakers to call for reform.

“I don’t know if it’s a watershed moment or not,” Dingell said, adding that sexual misconduct has been a “fact of life” in workplaces, including Capitol Hill.

Tags Al Franken Debbie Dingell Human sexuality Sex crimes Sexual misconduct