Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s girlfriend delivered a stern message for critics of the Democratic presidential candidate’s history of nondisclosure agreements with women.
Diana Taylor, Bloomberg’s longtime partner, reacted to the controversy surrounding the NDAs between the billionaire’s company and former female employees. “In none of them was he accused of doing anything and saying something nasty to a woman. That is not who he is,” Taylor said to CBS News while at a campaign stop in Texas.
“Life has changed. I grew up in that world. It was a bro culture. … We have come a very, very long way, and Michael Bloomberg has been at the forefront of that change,” Taylor said.
She argued the controversy should be disregarded because of the time that the alleged incidents happened. “It was thirty years ago. Get over it,” Taylor said.
Diana Taylor, @MikeBloomberg’s long-time partner, tells @CBSNews about his company’s non-disclosure agreements.
“I grew up in that world. It was a bro culture… We have come a very, very long way and Michael Bloomberg has been at the forefront of that change.” pic.twitter.com/0m3m4SACG3
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) February 25, 2020
In a statement released last Friday, Bloomberg said he would release any woman who wished to be released from her NDA: “I recognize that NDAs, particularly when they are used in the context of sexual harassment and sexual assault, promote a culture of silence in the workplace and contribute to a culture of women not feeling safe or supported. It is imperative that when problems occur, workplaces not only address the specific incidents, but the culture and practices that led to those incidents. And then leaders must act.”
Additionally, the former New York City mayor said he was committing to “review and reform our policies where necessary with regard to equal pay and promotion, sexual harassment and discrimination, and other legal tools that prevent culture change.”
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren hammered Bloomberg in the Las Vegas Democratic debate last week for the agreements. “He has gotten some number of women … to sign nondisclosure agreements both for sexual harassment and for gender discrimination in the workplace. So Mr. Mayor, are you willing to release all of those women from those nondisclosure agreements so we can hear their side of the story?” Warren said at the time.
When Warren further pressed him on how many of the agreements exist, he was unable to answer.
“The company and somebody else, in this case, a man or a woman … they decided when they made an agreement that they wanted to keep it quiet for everybody’s interest. They signed the agreements, and that’s what we’re going to live with,” Bloomberg said before later reversing his position.
