Dem. Women Senators Warren, McCaskill, Heitkamp & Hirono Outline Their #MeToo Stories On 'Meet The Press'
/Massachusetts Democrat US Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined three of her senate colleagues Claire McCaskill, Heidi Heitkamp, and Mazie Hirono on Sunday's 'Meet The Press' in sharing their own #MeToo stories of sexual harassment.
Warren, a leading progressive in the Senate, previously inspired her own hashtag of #NeverthelessShePersisted after being reprimanded and silenced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConell during the confirmation hearing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
"Yes, I have a #MeToo story too," Warren told NBC. "I was a baby law professor and so excited to have my first real teaching job. There was a senior faculty member who would tell dirty jokes and make comments about my appearance. One day he asked me if I would stop by his office, which I didn't think much about and I did. And he slammed the door and lunged for me. It was like a bad cartoon. He's chasing me around the desk trying to get his hands on me. And I kept saying, 'You don't want to do this. You don't want to do this. I have little children at home. Please don't do this.'"
Warren says she tried to remain calm, thinking that "if he gets hold of me, I'm going to punch him right in the face." Running out of the office, Warren detailed feelings that the majority of women experience in this situation. "I went back to my office and I just sat and shook. And thought, 'What had I done to bring this on?'" Rather than facing the reality that some men are dogs and women do absolutely nothing to cause their harassment or assault, Warren looked for an explanation in her own failings as a woman.
Watch Warren, along with senators Claire McCaskill, Heidi Heitkamp, and Mazie Hirono, share their #MeToo stories in the 'Meet the Press' video.