Tag: sexual assault
Neil Friske

Michigan GOP Legislator Held Without Bond In Strip Club Sexual Assault

Michigan State Rep. Neil Friske, who is a freshman Republican lawmaker representing a rural district in the northern part of the state, is now being held without bond, and potentially faces three felony charges.

The Washington Post reported that Friske was arrested at approximately 3 AM Eastern Time on Thursday morning, following a "late-night incident" involving a man with a gun chasing a woman, and potentially shots fired. While Friske hasn't yet been formally charged, police are reportedly requesting that prosecutors file charges of sexual assault, along with a separate assault charge and a gun charge.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Friske's campaign appeared to not dispute that the lawmaker was armed, saying that he "is always exercising his 2nd Amendment right." But the statement also suggested that the arrest was politically motivated, given that absentee ballots are about to be released and the fact that a pollster using an unknown number with "deep state ties" was calling district residents. It's unclear if the campaign's allegations of the pollster having "deep state ties" is in relation to Friske's Republican primary opponent, or his competition on the other side of the aisle.

Parker Fairbairn is running against Friske in Michigan's August 6 primary. The Post reported that while Fairbairn insisted his opponent was innocent until proven guilty in court, he also said the lawmaker's record in the statehouse was "abysmal and immoral."

"Neil deserves his time in court, and the people of the 107th [house district] deserve better than Neil, Fairbairn said.

The Democratic response was even more pointed. State representative Phil Skaggs (D) tweeted about the incident from his X (formerly Twitter) account that his colleague should "look to his conscience and do the right thing."

"There is no place in our legislature for someone who engages in such reprehensible behavior. Elected officials cannot be free from consequences when they behave in violent and harmful ways," Skaggs wrote. "If these allegations are true, Friske should resign from the Michigan House immediately."

Friske was first elected in 2022, with Ballotpedia reporting that he defeated his Democratic opponent, Jodi Decker, by more than 6,000 votes out of over 47,000 ballots cast. Decker is running unopposed in the 2024 primary, meaning she'll face off against Friske if he survives Fairbairn's attempt to primary him.

As a member of the Michigan House Freedom Caucus, Friske is one of the most conservative members of the lower chamber of the Mitten State's legislature. He's previously sponsored unsuccessful bills to implement stricter immigration regulations and curtail abortion rights. One of Friske's failed bills would have banned the use of prescription medication for abortions.

The 107th House district is rural and solidly Republican, representing parts of Cheboygan, Chippewa and Mackinac, and the entire counties of Charlevoix and Emmet. It's been in GOP control since 2011. Before Friske, the district was represented by Rep. John Damoose, and Lee Chatfield before him. Earlier this year, Chatfield — who was speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives between 2019 and 2021 — was charged with multiple felony crimes, including embezzlement and conducting a criminal enterprise.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Mark Robinson

North Carolina GOP Governor Nominee Defended Sexual Predators

Mark Robinson – the Republican nominee in this fall's gubernatorial race in North Carolina — is being scrutinized once again after social media posts defending sexual predators and domestic abusers have come to light.

According to a Tuesday report by the Washington Post, Robinson has a pattern of questioning the credibility of women who come forward publicly with accusations against powerful men of predatory and violent behavior. One example the Post noted was of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in California for sexual assault. In that post, Robinson lamented Weinstein's guilty verdict and likened him to a ritual "sacrifice" in the name of modern feminism.

"Harvey Weinstein and the rest of these high profile Hollywood elites were merely sacrificial lambs. They have been slaughtered in order to smear the airwaves with talk of 'sexual harassment' and how pervasive the culture of 'toxic masculinity' is in America," Robinson wrote in a 2017 Facebook post. "Now that it's front and center and 'fresh' on the minds of the masses all they have to do is simply 'accuse' an enemy... then sit back and watch."

The Post also found that Robinson "repeatedly" posted about former NFL star running back Ray Rice, who was fired from the Baltimore Ravens in 2014 after a video emerged of him beating his fiancée (now wife), Janay Palmer, in an elevator while the two were arguing at a casino. In August of 2014, Robinson wrote about the incident on his Facebook page, appearing to blame Palmer for the altercation.

"Note to Ray Rice’s lady friend; I’m a 350lb man but aint no way in HELL I’m gonna’ slap no pro football player," he posted. "I’m to[sic] old for an a—whoopin’."

Robinson has also shared opinions on actor Bill Cosby, who admitted to plying women with drugs in 2005. He said at the time he had seven prescriptions for Quaaludes, which are a heavy sedative and muscle relaxer. While he was found guilty of sexual assault in 2018 and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison, his conviction was ultimately overturned on a technicality in 2021. According to the Post, one of the many conspiracy theories Robinson shared on social media was the claim that the Illuminati were behind sexual assault allegations against powerful men like Cosby.

Another favorite target of Robinson was Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault after then-President Donald Trump nominated him to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy in 2018. One meme he posted in September of 2018 called Ford "a false witness bearing deceiver of THE WOSRT[sic] KIND."

“When Democrats lose,” Robinson wrote in a 2017 Facebook post a month later, “... they make a new way to cry wolf by shouting SEXUAL HARASSMENT. And they will kill as many of their own with that new way as they need to, as long as they get their targets on the other side.”

Robinson is hoping to win back the governor's mansion in the Tar Heel State for Republicans after it was held by Democrat Roy Cooper for the last 8 years. He's running against Democrat Josh Stein, who is the current attorney general.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Trump Club Waitress: 'I Was Forced To Engage In Sex' To Keep Job

Trump Club Waitress: 'I Was Forced To Engage In Sex' To Keep Job

Alice Bianco, who worked as a server at former President Donald Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, is accusing her former boss of sexual assault, and the ex-president's attorney of making her sign an illegal non-disclosure agreement in an attempt to silence her.

Politico reports the lawsuit, which does not name Trump as a defendant, pertains to alleged sexual assault between May and July of 2021 from Bedminster Golf Club food and beverage manager Pavel Melichar. Bianco's lawsuit says Melichar at first kissed her without her consent, then forced her "to engage in sex as a quid pro quo for continued employment and ‘protection.'" After an attempted assault in July of that year, Bianco said she refused Melichar's advances, which led to him "retaliating against her," giving her "unfair job assignments and allowing his henchmen to abuse her and steal her tips."


Bianco, who was just 21 years old at the time, hired an attorney after she was contacted by the club's human resources department. That was when, according to the lawsuit, Trump attorney Alina Habba reached out to Bianco.

First, the lawsuit alleges that Habba "groomed" Bianco, "pretending to be a friend." This allegedly involved Habba sending Bianco a negative article about the attorney she hired, telling the former server to "be careful" and reminding her that she could fire her attorney at any time. This eventually resulted in Bianco dismissing her lawyer and having no legal representation. At that point, the lawsuit alleges Habba asked Bianco to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which prevented Bianco from talking about the alleged sexual assault that took place at Bedminster. She then offered what Bianco referred to as a "paltry sum" of money in exchange for signing the NDA.

"Alina Habba used the unethical silencing of my client, Ali Bianco, as a way to propel herself into Trump’s inner circle," Nancy Erika Smith, who is currently representing Bianco, said in a public statement. "Her behavior was predatory. Pretending to be 'neutral' when acting on behalf of one party is clearly unethical."

When contacted for comment by Politico, Habba said, "I always conduct myself ethically and acted no differently in this circumstance."

Bianco isn't asking for additional monetary damages in the lawsuit, but is only asking to keep the initial settlement proceeds, for Habba's "unethical behavior" to be referred to the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics and for her legal costs to be reimbursed.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Jennifer Carnahan

Exploding Scandals Leave Minnesota GOP In Ruins

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Just months after suffering an upsetting loss during the 2020 presidential election, Minnesota Republicans are now left reeling as a result of the latest loss.

On Thursday, August 19, Jennifer Carnahan, wife of Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN) and embattled chair of the Minnesota Republican Party, submitted her resignation, adding more insult to injury for the ailing political party.

To make matters worse, Carnahan is also "accused by party officials and former staffers of running a toxic, retaliatory workplace, mismanaging party finances and, through the use of non-disclosure agreements, squashing transparency."

Her resignation came just days after Republican donor Anton "Tony" Lazzaro was hit with an indictment of federal sex trafficking charges. Gisela Castro Medina, chairwoman of the University of St. Thomas College Republicans, was also arrested in connection with Lazzaro's scheme as she was accused of assisting him in the sex trafficking of minors.

The publication reports that the accusations against Carnahan and her alleged affiliation with Lazzaro likely contributed to her abrupt departure from the political party. Now, some members of the party are speaking out about the latest scandal and its impact on the political party.

"The party is in ruins," said Michael Brodkorb, former deputy chair of Minnesota's Republican Party. He added, "I don't know if the party has hit rock bottom yet."

Minnesota GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan resigns during Thursday night meetingwww.youtube.com

The timing of her departure is also problematic for the party because it comes at a time female Republican leaders and lawmakers have been working to encourage more young women to embrace the party and run for public office. Now, that plan may also be thwarted as a result of all that has occurred.

"When you have woman after woman after woman coming out and saying that they had an issue with abuse or sexual assault and that our chairwoman stifled their story, that's concerning to me," said Minnesota state Sen. Julia Coleman (R). "If I was a young woman recently graduating, I wouldn't want to come anywhere near the MN GOP."

Despite all that has happened, some members of the party believe it was necessary for Carnahan to be removed. Former Minnesota Senate majority leader Amy Koch (R) insisted the party had to distance itself from a "terrible chair" who "wielded a hammer and kept power in this state through intimidation and false accusations and all the things people hate about politics."

She later added, "What happened this week is that a bunch of activists and legislators and former legislators, all those folks stood up and said it's not OK. It's not OK. We're not going to allow this to go forward."

Joe Polunc, a former GOP chair in Carver County, Minnesota, also weighed in on the future of the party admitting that it will likely face challenges for an extended period of time.

"The party's going to have to suffer to some extent," said Polunc. "I mean, the media's all over it … so there's going to be a period of time, it will be difficult."

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