Montana Governor Steve Bullock (D) is being accused of sexual misconduct by a college-aged woman, as Gov. Bullock navigates his bid for the Senate. A video from Tik Tok surfaced and gained traction on Twitter; the young woman alleges that Gov. Bullock groped her during a gala for the Democratic Governors Association (DGA).
MT Gov Steve Bullock is a disgusting man
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) August 17, 2020
A college-aged woman on her TikTok describes a terrible experience where he “grabbed [her] butt” while taking a photo together at a Dem Gov gala in DC https://t.co/YcGBlhVMx6 pic.twitter.com/qlBfIcXYOR
This accusation is not the first faced by Gov. Bullock. His own Lieutenant Governor resigned after alleging witnessing Gov. Bullock act physically inappropriately with a Montana state official, via The Resurgent:
“McLean and several staff members joined Bullock one evening at Lindey’s Steakhouse in Seeley Lake, Montana, about a hundred miles west of Helena. They later left Lindey’s – all except Bullock and a female state official. Shortly after leaving, McLean realized she had forgotten to pay for her drinks. She returned to Lindey’s and, upon entering, observed Bullock groping the female state official, who was seated on his lap...McLean confronted Bullock in December 2014 about the impropriety of what she saw. Bullock told her to pound sand.”
McLean quickly resigned after allegedly receiving pushback from Gov. Bullock and his staffers about the governor’s reported inappropriate behavior.
Gov. Bullock’s previous rhetoric surrounding sexual misconduct allegations, during the confirmation of then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh, called for investigations when women come forward with credible claims:
“When a woman comes out with a credible claim, a claim that she was sexually assaulted, that should be investigated…So do an investigation, figure it out, right? As opposed to talking over one another or saying, ‘I’ve been victimized,’ just do an investigation. That’s what we’ve done in the past.”
Gov. Bullock has yet to weigh in on the claims of sexual impropriety made against him, but his own standard would demand an investigation into the allegations. It remains to be seen if Gov. Bullock deems these claims credible enough to merit an investigation. He faces a battleground Senate race that is rated as a toss-up by Cook Political Report, hoping to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Steve Daines in November.