Don Lemon Lectures Ed Martin on Moore Accusers: ‘I Was a Victim of Childhood Sexual Abuse’
CNN’s Don Lemon recalled his history of sexual abuse to explain to Ed Martin why women struggle to come forward during a debate over President Donald Trump’s endorsement of accused child molester and senate candidate Roy Moore.
Lemon first asked Martin, a pro-Trump CNN contributor, whether we are supposed to believe any of the women accusing Moore of preying on them when they were teenagers.
“The reason I’m asking you, here’s why this upsets me,” Lemon said, after Martin waffled an answer to his question.
“And this is no secret, except to new people who are watching, that I was a victim of childhood sexual abuse.”
“And no one, no matter how old you are, wants to come out and admit that publicly. It is just not something that is done, especially when you’re talking about something that happens at that young an age.”
Lemon revealed on air in 2010 that he had been the victim of a pedophile when he was a child.
“And here you are sitting here on CNN twisting yourself in a a pretzel to try to defend something that is indefensible,” he continued. “Not one person wants to come out and say that, not two, not three, not four, not five, certainly not 12 women.”
Martin said that he believes the charges against Moore should be investigated, but asked “who do you believe” when the senate candidate denies the allegations.
Bakari Sellers added that “Republicans want to put someone who many people believe has valid accusations of pedophilia against them in the United States Senate.”
That comment stunned Martin, who scoffed a few times, before Lemon reminded him: “As awful as it sounds for him to say that, it is even more awful for the people who are involved personally in that, Ed, I hope you understand.”
Watch above, via CNN.
[image via screengrab]
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