Some Democrats will be inviting victims of sexual assault to President Trump’s first State of the Union address, according to an aide to Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), a leader of the House Democratic Women's Working Group.
“Some members will be bringing survivors of sexual assault and advocates as their guests," the aide told NBC News.
The news comes after Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier said she, along with many of her colleagues, will be wearing black to the State of the Union “in solidarity w/survivors of sexual harassment/violence.”
“My colleagues and I in the @HouseDemWomen are calling on our fellow MoCs - women & men, Democrats & Republicans - to wear black to this year's #SOTU in solidarity w/survivors of sexual harassment/violence in Hollywood, politics, the military, academia, etc. #TIMESUP #MeToo,” she tweeted Wednesday.
My colleagues and I in the @HouseDemWomen are calling on our fellow MoCs - women & men, Democrats & Republicans - to wear black to this year's #SOTU in solidarity w/survivors of sexual harassment/violence in Hollywood, politics, the military, academia, etc. #TIMESUP #MeToo
— Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) January 10, 2018
"This is a culture change that is sweeping the country and Congress is embracing it," Speier told The Hill in a statement.
Speier said the Democratic Women’s Working Group, which includes all of the female House members, was encouraging lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to wear black to the event, and that support is very high.
More than a dozen women came forward to publicly accuse Trump of sexual harassment during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Last month, three of the women banded together for the first time to call for a congressional investigation into Trump. (The Hill)
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Frankel also reportedly wanted to hold "mock hearings" with the women who have accused President Trump of sexual harassment, but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi advised against it.
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