Sexual Harassment
Rudy Giuliani’s Sugar Baby
Wake up, girl!
--
Rudy Giuliani is no boy scout. We pretty much had that figured out even before Noelle Dunphy dropped her bombshell lawsuit. But the depths to which Rudy allegedly descended surprised even his most ardent detractors. Selling pardons? Alleging that Jews are not his sexual equal owing to “natural selection?” Referring to his “lover” as his daughter? Demanding oral sex from his employee while on the phone with Donald Trump so he could “feel like Bill Clinton?” Wow! These are all accusations leveled at Giuliani in Ms Dunphy’s 69-page complaint.
That men use their position of power to coerce women into compromising postures is hardly news at this point in time. Those who don’t operate in this manner appear to be in the minority judging by the endless number of men who’ve been outed for their indiscretions. And while I’m certainly no fan of Rudy Giuliani’s and would never stand in his defense, I have to wonder exactly how naive Dunphy had to be to submit to what by her own admission was clearly a situation in which she was harassed and assaulted right from the outset.
Dunphy’s voluminous complaint itemizes her entire history with Giuliani detailing that his oafish advances began immediately. There was little in the realm of foreplay to groom her. Why would she submit when Rudy’s mission was so clear? I know. She was vulnerable what with coming out of an abusive relationship — and needing the pro bono representation and emotional bolstering he offered her — not to mention the $1 million per year salary. Who wouldn’t go for that?
Still, there were signs right from the start that should have set off alarms and whistles. Rudy “jumped her bones” right after the hire according to her complaint. And what about his proposal to defer her salary payments until after his divorce? That would have sounded very fishy to me.
While Ms Dunphy is an accomplished public relater with an ivy league education, she was apparently not as streetwise as she needed to be to contend with a slick hustler named Rudolph Giuliani. But given today’s #metoo climate, she should have recognized that her role was more sugar baby than consultant. All the signs were evident.
