Warren attacks Bloomberg in debate over claims he told pregnant employee to 'kill it'
GREENVILLE, S.C. – In last week's debate in Nevada, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren used her opening remarks to attack former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg over sexism accusations.
She brought it up again in Tuesday's debate in Charleston.
Bloomberg was asked to contend with allegations of crude remarks toward women, specifically whether he allegedly told a pregnant employee to "kill it."
During the debate, Warren said she lost a teaching job due to her pregnancy at age 21. She used the opportunity to attack Bloomberg.
"At least I didn't have a boss who said to me, 'Kill it,' the way that Mayor Bloomberg alleged to have said to one of his pregnant employees," she said.
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"I never said that," Bloomberg responded. "And for the record, if she was a teacher in New York City, she would never have had that problem. We treated our teachers the right way, and the unions will tell you exactly that."
Warren then asked to hear from the women accusing Bloomberg of crude remarks.
"Then let the women have the opportunity to speak," she said. "They are bound by non-disclosures so that they cannot speak."
I asked Mayor Bloomberg to release all the women from non-disclosure agreements—which he refuses to do. His response? "Enough is never enough” for her.
That's right—and I’ll keep fighting for everyone whose voices need to be heard. #DemDebate— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 26, 2020
Where does the allegation of the 'kill it' comment come from?
According to a Washington Post investigation, the alleged comment was said in 1995 to Sekiko Sakai Garrison, a saleswoman under his employ.
When asked about her personal life, Garrison responded that she was pregnant, to which she alleges Bloomberg said "Kill it!"
Garrison was later fired from her position.
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She didn't make it up "(The Saleswoman) alleged Bloomberg told her to “kill it” when he learned she was pregnant. Bloomberg has denied her allegation under oath, and he reached a confidential settlement with the saleswoman." https://t.co/bBNctmgY8J
— Sevey K (@k_sevey) February 26, 2020
USA TODAY's Jeanine Santucci contributed to this report.
Nick Siano is a digital producer with the USA TODAY NETWORK. Follow him on Twitter: @NickSiano_. Lauren J. Young is a digital producer with The Greenville News. Follow her on Twitter: @LaurenJYoung94.
This article originally appeared on The Greenville News: Democratic debate: Warren attacks Bloomberg over alleged 'kill it' comment
