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FORMER US PRESIDENT George HW Bush has apologised for jokingly patting “women’s rears” after an actress accused him of groping her from his wheelchair while at a screening.
Heather Lind, 34, said the incident occurred four years ago at an event to promote the TV series Turn: Washington’s Spies.
It is the latest in an outpouring of sexual harassment allegations against powerful male figures in entertainment, fashion and finance that followed the downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who stands accused of assaulting and raping actresses.
Lind added she decided to share her story after seeing Bush Sr, 93, appear onstage at a benefit concert to raise money for victims of the hurricane-ravaged southern United States and Caribbean.
“I found it disturbing because I recognise the respect ex-presidents are given for having served,” she wrote.
“But when I got the chance to meet George HW Bush four years ago to promote a historical television show I was working on, he sexually assaulted me while I was posing for a similar photo.
“He didn’t shake my hand. He touched me from behind from his wheelchair with his wife Barbara Bush by his side. He told me a dirty joke”, she added.
Later on, as pictures were being taken, Bush repeated the act, while “Barbara rolled her eyes as if to say ‘not again’”.
A Bush spokesman apologised to Lind for the former president’s “attempt at humour.”
“President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures,” a statement from Bush’s office read.
“To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke, and on occasion, he has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner.
“Some have seen it as innocent, others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologises most sincerely,” the statement added.
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He will make the announcement but the decision is not his to make.
@Paulco: absolutely, the questions for the deep powers in DC is can we juice him up for another four years and who else (certainly not Kamala) can we run. So, do we continue to prop him up and continue to bury this Hunter Biden mess (and whatever classified docs the FBI conveniently found in Joe’s Delaware house a few months ago) or do we run another candidate, like a Gavin Newsom, perhaps. Sure, they’ll let him to have his harmless little St Patrick’s day week in the middle of April, but no, the decision to run isn’t his.
@Ordinary Bloke: Early with the conspiracy word salad today, Yuri.
@Stephen Gill: it’s a bit early to be expressing your paranoia sunshine.
@Ordinary Bloke: Hiding your identity is a major symptom of paranoia. I ain’t hiding. You are. Show some honesty change your name to Paranoid bloke!
@Stephen Gill: God forbid, someone expresses an opinion on Ukraine, or in this case US politics, that’s contrary to your own, and you automatically jump to a conclusion that I’m some Russian paid troll, or whatever. That really says a lot about your grasp of reality. Go out, enjoy yourself, it’s a lovely Saturday.
@Ordinary Bloke: They say if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, then it’s a duck. A paranoid pro-Russian, one at that.
@Ordinary Bloke: Why not Kamala? Honestly wondering.
He’ll make an announcement, if he doesn’t forget to…
Well, after listening to Joe’s speech in Ballina it seems Sammy Wilson was on to something regarding Bidens attitude to England at least. Bit of a mask slipping on that one. I had no great problem with the Ballina/ Knock/ Castlebar element of his visit as that was more an expression of his personal relationship with that part of the country. To be fair, Ballina put on some show and I thought the Mayor done a great job of the introduction.
Couple that with the farce of his appearance in NI which has only alienated groups of people he professes to want to encourage.
If there was ever a time for a person of international importance to get really stuck in and act as an honest broker to help break the impass in NI it was now. Mr President however squandered that opportunity in favour of ‘stage Irish paddywhackary’.
I would suggest he has no great grasp of the intricate minefields that are Brexit/ NI/EU despite his and others claims to the opposite. And incase no one noticed the distinct lack of mention by either him or our own politicians on the hugh part US companies play in our economy, it’s with good reason.
o@all devices: you either live under a rock or have an agenda. “Sammy Wilson on tp something”. now that would be a spectacular surprise.
#kennedy2024
@Ordinary Bloke: Says it all. Kennedy is a dangerous conspiracy theorist.
President Biden’s visit to Ireland was a great success , the sun is shining , people are happy , enjoy .
Nice chap but really time to relax in the PJs Joe…is there any candidates under 70 to run in 200 million people
Did Eamon Ryan get chance to waffle aimlessly at the yanks?
His past it, De Santis if he gets the Republican nomination @44 will eat his breakfast and come back for dinner.
@Áine G: Only if Donald John Trump is persuaded not to run as a third party candidate in an last ditch attempt to delay prosecution and incarceration for his many crimes. Trump can destroy De Santos and the Republican Party before he leaves the stage and has shown every inclination to do so.
@KilkennyProud: let’s hope he succeeds. The Stone Age doesn’t have the appeal it used to have. Except of course to the cavemen and women who support trump
Meanwhile,the sky news coverage of his departure last night was hilarious,the presenter and two guests bitching like three children who weren’t invited to a cool kids birthday party.It was gold,what a shower of deluded idiots.
@Gerry Campbell: oh dear, think we may actually have to look a lot closer to home to find the real deluded ones.
@Tipper Irie: Yep – you don’t have to go to Sky News to find people bitching about a very successful visit that was a good news story for the country.
@Tipper Irie: Yes but the actual lack of logic in supposed Journalists,if Biden went to France would the Germans be upset if he didn’t pop in to say Hi?
Enough of JB. A decent man, no doubt, a genuine democrat (small d) but surely time to bend to the natural ravages of ageing.He looked permanently bewildered during the Oirish jaunt.What day is it, where are we, who is she/he? The speeches were frankly embarrassing, a mixture of stuttering green -tinted platitudes and clichés. Pipe and slippers beckon for this old guy. A second term? Please, no!
Biden has to stand if ‘yer man’ is going to seriously run again. I don’t see ‘ yer man’ having a serious chance of winning and as Biden is the only man who can beat him, Biden should stay in the race until ‘yer man’ drops out. If I were a U.S. democrat, I would use the debating/nomination season to introduce potential Democratic candidates for the Presidency. If ‘ yer man’ is doing badly, then Joe Biden should drop out. I think that Biden, as Presidents go, has been a seriously good and underetimated President. Just saying!!!!!
@Barry Hannigan: totally agree. Nothing senile or anything like it about JB . He spoke articulately where required. Do not mistake his ‘folksy’ style of delivery for sometime else! Otherwise you fall into the Sky News and Fox News trap!
Kilkenny Proud commenting above has no idea how corrupt American politics is. Both Republicans and Democrats amass great personal wealth “serving the people”. They are in bed together and just put on a show for the folks. Almost like, I don’t know… FF/FG???
@Paulco: Paulco above makes generalised and lazy minded comments about his opinions on corruption. If he/she has any proof to back up his/her accusations she/he should report it to the relevant authorities.
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