Elizabeth Warren also has a plan for how Mike Bloomberg can release ex-employees from those non-disclosure agreements he got criticized for during Wednesday’s Democratic debate.
Thursday night, at a CNN town hall, Warren announced that she had drawn up a document, using her skills as a contract law professor.
‘And I thought I would make this easy,’ Warren told CNN’s Erin Burnett. ‘I wrote up a release and a covenant not to sue. And all that Mayor Bloomberg has to do is download it – I’ll text it – sign it. And then the women, or men, will be free to speak and tell their own stories,’ Warren added, as the audience laughed.
Elizabeth Warren appeared at a CNN town hall Thursday night and brought along a release she penned for women and men who had previously worked for Mike Bloomberg and were under non-disclosure agreements he’s refusing to wave
Elizabeth Warren (left) shared the document with CNN’s Erin Burnett (right) explaining she had used her experience as a contact law professor to draw it up
Elizabeth Warren put Michael Bloomberg (pictured) on blast during Wednesday night’s Democratic debate in Las Vegas, which was the first time the former New York city mayor stood alongside his primary rivals
On the debate stage, Elizabeth Warren (right) tore into Mike Bloomberg (left) over refusing to let employees out of non-disclosure agreements
Elizabeth Warren penned a release for Mike Bloomberg to use with ex-employees who are currently under non-disclosure agreements. Warren shared it on Twitter and talked about it at a CNN town hall Thursday night
Then, ever playing the Harvard Law professor, Warren read the relevant parts:
‘Bloomberg and the company release any and all obligations contained in any agreement, including but not limited to, any employment settlement, severance, or non-disclosure agreement between Bloomberg and/or the company and any other person to the extent those obligations preclude the other person from disclosing information relating to sexual harassment, discrimination, or other misconduct at the company or by Bloomberg himself,’ she said. ‘Under this release, it is now the other person’s choice to disclose such information or not.’
‘I think that the mayor should sign this and that we all have a right to see,’ Warren added.
As soon as Warren got onstage, she had reminded the CNN audience gathered in Las Vegas of her persistent attacks on Bloomberg during the Nevada Democratic debate.
‘I had an exchange with Mayor Bloomberg about the question about sexual harassment and discrimination, that it occurred, and there have been many allegations about this, and he said on the stage that, no, it had just really been about a few jokes that he had told, that people hadn’t been able to take a joke,’ Warren said.
When Bloomberg countered with the line, ‘None of them accuse me of doing anything other than maybe they didn’t like a joke I told,’ the audience gasped.
The crowd also reacted to Warren’s opening swing at Bloomberg, where she called him out for nasty things he said about women in the past.
‘I’d like to talk about who we’re running against, a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians. And no I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg,’ Warren said Wednesday night.
Burnett asked Warren about that attack line.
‘Let me just be clear. That’s what he said. I was quoting him on those words,’ Warren said.
The anchor then asked if Bloomberg’s response – implying it was an off-color joke – was enough.
‘That just doesn’t cut it,’ the Massachusetts senator complained.
She answered in the affirmative when Burnett asked if Bloomberg’s behavior was disqualifying ‘in and of itself’ to be president of the United States.
‘Yes, I do,’ Warren answered. ‘You know, can we all just remember the power relationship about what’s going on here.’
She pointed to how much courage it would take, as an employee, to stand up to the boss, especially one as moneyed as Bloomberg, who’s currently worth $63.7 billion, according to Forbes.
‘You’ve got to admit, that takes a lot to be able to do that, and that the consequence of it is he dumps some money on it and then stuffs a gag in the woman’s mouth,’ Warren said. ‘If he’s not willing to remove those gags and let those women and maybe those men talk, then he is disqualified from being president of the United States.’
That being said, Warren admitted to Burnett that she would support whomever the Democratic nominee is.
‘Look, I will support the Democratic nominee because i believe that everyone on that stage would make a better president than Donald Trump. I’m in,’ Warren said.
Burnett asked Warren to reiterate whether she’d support Bloomberg ‘even thought he called someone a “horse-faced lesbian.”‘
‘Look … what we’ve got right now is a chance for the Nevada voters to make sure that Michael Bloomberg is not our nominee, and that’s what I’m asking for,’ Warren said.