Skip to main content
Adrienne Lawrence Legal analyst, law professor & award-winning author
Share
Opinion

Stop blaming Hutchinson for alleged Giuliani groping

Share
Adrienne Lawrence Legal analyst, law professor & award-winning author
Share

In her newly published memoir, Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump White House aide, alleges Rudy Giuliani sexually assaulted her on Jan. 6, 2021, the day of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some have raised questions about why Hutchinson has chosen to disclose these allegations over two and a half years after the alleged incident.

Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence offers insight into why Hutchinson’s decision to come forward with her claims of the Giuliani assault at this time is not as surprising as it may seem.

To those questioning why Hutchinson didn’t fight back: Freezing when someone is sexually assaulting you is extremely common, especially in workplace sexual harassment situations such as this.

Hutchinson’s livelihood was on the line here. Should she have pushed back, it could have been very bad for her. And also, her bodily autonomy is not exactly something her boss, a known rapist, supports. And per my recollection, and also hers, attorney John Eastman was in that tent, and he watched it go down and did absolutely nothing. So it’s not like Hutchinson had an army of support behind her if she chose to throw a bow or two at Rudy’s nose.

So Hutchinson did have around her, however, a lot of chaos. She’s describing being sexually assaulted during the midst of an attempted coup. I’d like to think that the situation made it even more difficult to respond in the moment.

So those questioning Hutchinson’s response or lack thereof, they’re simply down to victim-blame, or they really just hate women. Either way, it’s a joke to not acknowledge the difficulty of the situation Hutchinson was in. And to those saying that she put herself in that situation, as she should have known Giuliani was a predator…well, you, too, are all aboard the victim-blaming train.

In her recently released memoir, Cassidy Hutchinson is telling it all about her experience working in the Trump administration. The former aide apparently had a lot more to share than she originally broadcast before Congress last year and its probe of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. And one thing that she shared in her book enough shows me that the left has a lot of work to do post me to, in her book Hutchinson recounts being sexually assaulted by former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. According to Hutchinson, while the crowds were gathering outside and getting riled up to attack the US Capitol, the 79 year old Giuliani was preying on her, she explains how while she was backstage in the tent, at the stop the steel rally, Giuliani grabbed one arm and put it around her body before slipping his hand beneath her blazer. And then her skirt. The 27 year old said that she felt his fingers trail up her thigh, that she recoiled from his grip and stormed out of the tent filled with rage. Now, you can read the book if you want more detail than that, because I’ve heard enough. And I’ve also heard some of the responses to Hutchinson sharing the story since it broke last week, from folks questioning why she didn’t come forward sooner to individuals claiming that she should have known better. All I can say is that it’s clear we’ve learned very little since me too. So let me go ahead and disabuse some folks of their ignorance, particularly those on the left who purport to be moral Crusaders. To those questioning why Hutchinson didn’t fight back. Freezing when someone is sexually assaulting you is extremely common, especially in workplace sexual harassment situations such as this, Hutchinson’s livelihood was on the line here, should she have pushed back it could have been very bad for her. And also, her bodily autonomy is not exactly something her boss unknown rapist supports, and per my recollection, and also hers. Attorney John Eastman was in that tent, and he wants to go down and did absolutely nothing. So it’s not like Hutchinson had an army of support behind her if she chose to throw a bow or two at Rudy’s notes. So Hutchinson did have around her however, a lot of chaos. She’s just driving being sexually assaulted during the dmidst of an attempted coup, I’d like to think that the situation made it even more difficult to respond in the moment. So those questioning Hutchinson’s response or lack thereof, they’re simply down to victim blame, or they really just hate women. Either way, it’s a joke to not acknowledge the difficulty of the situation Hutchinson was in and to those saying that she put herself in that situation, as she should have known Giuliani was a predator. Well, you too, are all aboard the victim blaming train, I do not care what side of the aisle Hutchinson is on or what her political affiliations are. No one signs up for sexual assault, and no one deserves it. That should be a bipartisan conclusion. Yet, I’ve heard so many people on the left echoing the victim blaming mantra. And if you’re celebrating Hutchinson being sexually assaulted, simply because she aligned with Trump, you really should check yourself and your sense of humanity. We don’t win by wishing harm on others. That’s how the right may roll. Yeah, but undermining the humanity of our fellow human beings doesn’t put us in the winner’s circle. Rather, that behavior makes you just as bad as the right. The behavior I do praise, however, is Hutchinson speaking her truth. While I do recognize that she’s recounting this alleged trauma and a memoir, and she’s trying to sell books, I still get it. Why put your trauma on the streets if you’re not going to collect some coins for it. But that doesn’t take away the fact that she’s a survivor of sexual assault that she’s described here. She didn’t owe it to anybody to speak up any sooner or when it went down to be any different, and there’s a very good chance that she wasn’t ready to process the experience. I know Hutchinson capitalized on the rise of a racist, fascist rapist, who endangers our economy, our democracy due at every turn. But that doesn’t mean that all of a sudden she’s not entitled to respect and dignity of being a survivor. It doesn’t matter what your political affiliation is, whether you’re on the right or the left, and if you’ve forgotten that, it might be time to reflect and to come correct.

More from Adrienne Lawrence

Latest Commentary

We know it is important to hear from a diverse range of observers on the complex topics we face and believe our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions.

The commentaries published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.


Latest Opinions

In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum. We hope these different voices will help you reach your own conclusions.

The opinions published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.

Weekly Voices

Left Opinion Right Opinion
Wednesday
Left Opinion Right Opinion
Thursday
Left Opinion Right Opinion
Friday
Left Opinion Right Opinion