Michelle Obama on sexual misconduct allegations: I’m ‘sick’

Former first lady Michelle Obama said this week that the recent slew of sexual misconduct allegations that have come to light make her “sick,” and urged men to do more to combat harassment and assault.

“I can’t tell you how sick it makes me, the more I see the uncovering of the truth that all us women know has been out there, that there is an ugliness there,” she said during a Thursday night speech in Hartford, Conn., according to People.

“If we want young women to be strong and have voices and advocate for themselves, then we have to realize how much work we have to do,’’ Obama added. “And I’m talking to the men out there, who cannot be innocent bystanders and complacent … watching this happen.”

{mosads}

Obama also said that her success in life is due to the fact that she was “loved and nurtured and invested [in],” according to People.

Obama’s comments come as a growing number of powerful men in politics, business, entertainment and beyond face allegations of sexual harassment, assault and other misconduct. 

This week, a Los Angeles radio host came forward with allegations that Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) forcibly kissed her and groped her in 2006, while the two were on a USO tour in the Middle East. Franken has since apologized for his actions, and is facing calls by fellow lawmakers to launch an ethics investigation into his behavior.

At the same time, Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore has faced allegations from numerous women in recent days that he pursued sexual and romantic relations with them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. One of his accusers was 14 at the time.

He has denied most of the allegations against him, and has resisted calls from Republican officials across the country to step aside in the Alabama Senate race.