Dem Senator Grills Linda McMahon Over Ongoing Lawsuit Accusing Her Of Allowing ‘Systemic Abuse of Underage Children’
Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) pressed Linda McMahon at a Thursday hearing over an ongoing lawsuit accusing the former wrestling executive of enabling the “systemic abuse” of children.
Baldwin hit McMahon at Thursday’s confirmation hearing — which was interrupted multiple times by protesters — with a series of questions on sexual assault and harassment of students and eventually made her way to the lawsuit, arguing she’s “concerned about whether sexual assault survivors on campus can trust you to support them.”
The lawsuit alleged that McMahon and her husband Vince McMahon enabled the abuse of children by enabling alleged abuse by then-ringside announcer Melvin Phillips Jr. Five accusers who worked as “ring boys” claimed in the lawsuit that they were abused by Phillips when they were between the ages of 13-15. The lawsuit alleges the McMahons were aware of accusations against Phillips and kept him employed.
“Phillips lured and manipulated the young boys with promises of meeting famous wrestlers and attending the highly popular wrestling shows, experiences that were otherwise unattainable for these kids,” the lawsuit reads.
McMahon has denied any wrongdoing and she did not directly address the lawsuit on Thursday, instead noting that she has multiple grandchildren currently in college.
Check out the exchange below:
TAMMY BALDWIN: “Mrs. McMahon, you have been named in a lawsuit which alleges that you and your husband allowed for systemic and pervasive abuse of underage children to persist in your business for years. It is now an ongoing lawsuit, and it alleges that you rehired a known sexual predator and you felt it was sufficient to simply direct him to steer clear of children. If confirmed, you will be responsible with overseeing the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, charged with ensuring equal access to education through vigorous enforcement of civil rights laws. I am so concerned about whether sexual assault survivors on campus can trust you to support them.”
LINDA MCMAHON: “Thank you, Senator. They certainly can trust me to support them. I have a granddaughter that is now in college. I have two grandsons who are in college. And I have deep commitment of understanding of how I would feel if any of them were involved in sexual harassment or accused of sexual harassment. You have my absolute commitment that I will uphold and protect those investigations to make sure that those students are treated fairly on both sides.”
Watch above via PBS News.
