Justin Trudeau 'does not remember' groping reporter at festival

[GatoGordo]

Source: The Guardian

Canadian PM responds to allegation he groped journalist at event in 2000

Justin Trudeau has publicly addressed allegations that he groped a reporter at an event 18 years ago, saying he does not recall any “negative interactions” taking place that day.

The allegation has dominated political discussion in Canada in recent days after it was highlighted by a blogger last month.

At the time, Trudeau was a 28-year-old teacher and had been attending a music festival sponsored by a beer company in British Columbia. The festival was raising money to support avalanche safety, a cause Trudeau had become involved with after his brother Michel died in an avalanche in 1998.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/02/justin-trudeau-denies-groping-reporter-music-festival-2000-british-columbia

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I am so sick of this.

[Corgigal]

1. Roger Stone

in the house. Canada doesn't give one fuck, cause most of the citizens are smarter then us.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Yup!

[onetexan]

36. yup, got putin and his american ilk all over it

smear campaign to discredit Trudeau. I don't buy it one bit.

[Wwcd]

51. Yup. Roger Stone was the immediate culprit..

He's had his hands in this exact m.o. since Clinton/Paula Jones smear campaign.

Stone has been doing this kind of character assassination bull sh.. for so long its the only identifying feature he owns .

[yardwork]

2. Seems to be the go-to accusation against any enemy of Trump.

[Cracklin Charlie]

27. Must be the easiest scam to fake up.

Slimey old mobsters.

[Cha]

38. When Fraud is the biggest Groper and

you know what grabber of them All.

[marieo1]

3. minngal

I'm sure this is all a bunch of nonsense. Justin Trudeau has come out against DJT and I'm sure those right-wingers are trying to take him down, too. Canada.............don't believe everything you hear from reporters, etc. You have a decent leader, be proud of him.

[C Moon]

4. A Trump attack? More like a Putin attack.

[sdfernando]

5. Next up....

Macron group woman 15 or 20 years ago....Then Merkel grouped a woman 30 or 40 years ago.

[IronLionZion]

6. Another hit job like what happened to Al Franken?

Meanwhile Teflon Don the con is just locker room talk with his multiple grabbing of many women over many years.

[Totally Tunsie]

8. The shocking thing here is that JT is 46 years old!

I had no idea...thought he was in his thirties.

[moose65]

31. I know!

I had no idea he was in his 40s! Trudeau is a Class-A hottie!

[LBM20]

9. Another BULLSHIT hit job. Don't fall for this BULLSHIT AGAIN!

This is BULLSHIT! Don't fall for it.

[workinclasszero]

10. Reich wing in Canada going after enemies of Trump?

[kacekwl]

11. So what.

Same bullshit . Tired of it.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. The contemporary accounts make it sound like something happened that the reporter

didn't feel great about.

[cubbies01]

13. Thankfully...

Kirsten Gillibrand does not serve in Canada's Parliament.

[Judi Lynn]

14. Tired of filthy lies? Don't post them. n/t

[defacto7]

18. I agree. n/t

[stevenleser]

15. Assuming it isn't BS which is where I am leaning toward believing...

... I am wondering how many of these issues like the one with Franken are simply physical errors. By that I mean, if you are a politician or public figure giving 5000 people a pat on the shoulder or putting an arm around their waist during an event or over time, what is the percentage chance an arm around the waist misjudges height and brushes or hits a buttock, or the person moves as you are trying to pat them on the shoulder and you hit a chest/breast instead?

What about 10,000 people, 50,000 people? If the chance of this physical error happening is 1/5000 it is going to happen if you are meeting this many people.

And sure, I can see someone who did it on purpose making this excuse as well.

[marieo1]

29. minngal

I agree steven leser...I have been so angry ever since Al Franken got the boot, thanks to Kristen Gillibrand. A lot of people are huggers and mean nothing by it, there is nothing sexual about it. Some just see it as a chance to get a pay off from the opposing party. And...........some women even encourage it, I know because I worked with all men. if you encourage it, it can happen. If you don't encourage it nothing will happen, unless your a DJT pervert and force yourself on the gals!!

[moreland01]

16. What? When??

How come nobody told me Justin was handing out gropes! I'd wait in line for that one

[cstanleytech]

17. This is not meant to excuse him if he did it but to be fair I myself would have

a hard time remembering what happened yesterday let alone 18+ years ago but then again I dont have the best memory.
In fact it took me 2 hours to find my wallet this morning, I looked in the car, kitchen, bathroom, living room until I finally found it in my bedroom under the bed as I must have taken it in there and kicked it under the bed by accident.
Usually I just leave it in my pants and get it the next morning but I was so exhausted yesterday I must have taken it out before I went to bed and forgot about it.

[Judi Lynn]

20. You would probably remember if you were a pervert or not. n/t

[pnwmom]

21. He wasn't accused of being a pervert or even of having committed sexual assault.

“It was a brief touch,” she said. “I would not classify it or qualify it as sexual assault.”

[get the red out]

28. I hate this sort of thing

Looks like the woman herself said it wasn't sexual assault, so she puts this out there and, Trudeau aside, it serves to lessen the seriousness of real sexual assault and its victims.

[Jedi Guy]

46. That wasn't a quote from the woman herself.

That was a quote from the woman who published the newspaper at the time the incident supposedly occurred.

[Judi Lynn]

33. You missed the point. I clearly was indicating you should know if you are the kind of person

who would be involved in groping other people or not.

It should have been apparent.

"Pervert" indicates people ARE aware of what kind of people they are, and whether groping is something they might have, or could have done at any point in their lives. It's not easy to forget your own moral construction, no matter how hard some people seem to try.

[cstanleytech]

22. No doubt but remembering what exactly took place at a party or an event with someone?

Probably not in any great detail unless it was something unique like meeting a major celebrity or something along those lines.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

34. Yes, but you'd also remember if that is something you'd NEVER do, so it could not have happened.

That's what I would say if someone accused me of groping them years ago... not that I don't remember the incident. It would be better if Trudeau said that.

[LisaL]

43. It's not even clear what he is supposedly accused of doing.

It was a "brief touch" from 18 years ago? How do you know you didn't "briefly touch" someone 18 years ago?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

44. I see your point... but, I thought the accusation was of "groping," not some incidental touching.

Anyway, the more I think about it, it's kinda silly, all this hypothetical supposition.

[rzemanfl]

37. Be glad you don't have a cat, ours bats anything that lands on the floor wayyyy under the bed. n/t

[cstanleytech]

39. I do actually but I keep the bedroom off limits to him as he is one of those really hairy

cats that constantly sheds all the time.

[rzemanfl]

45. My wife lets ours pretty much have the run of the house. n/t

[cstanleytech]

48. For the most part ours does as well and even though he

pees in some places he shouldn't we have not killed him yet but that is because he is a very cute and cuddly cat.

[rzemanfl]

49. Ours is an arrogant girl.

She hid so well from the fireworks last night we couldn't find her until she decided to come out.

[cstanleytech]

50. Ours used to literally jump when he was younger at the slightest noise but now

if we drop say a skillet in the kitchen there is zero reaction other than this wimpy pathetic "meow".

[mainer]

19. He was single. It was 18 years ago. And it was not an assault.

According to the woman to whom the "victim" confided at the time.

“It was a brief touch,” she said. “I would not classify it or qualify it as sexual assault.”

[SunSeeker]

23. The right is trying to destroy Trudeau. Don't fall for it. nt

[no_hypocrisy]

24. What is Trudeau expected to do?

Can any of you prove a negative premise 10+ years ago? All you have is contradiction and sincerity.

[Oneironaut]

25. LOL...

[MFM008]

26. They are trying to Al Franken

Justin.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

35. Are they calling for Trudeau's ouster? I would hope not!

[MFM008]

47. Not yet

Just smear and expect them to resign or tarnish their reputation or drag them into maggots gutter.

[farmbo]

30. Really? Our President stands accused of groping 15 women

... (that we know of) and not a single mainstream news outlet gives a flying hoot about their stories.

Cute little “scandal” you have up there, Canada.

(And Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦

[BlueIdaho]

32. Bullshit Lee Atwater rises from the grave...

Fat Donny’s dirty tricksters at work again. It’s easier to believe Donny is a born again Christian than any of this hog swill. Nothing to see here, keep moving...

[maxrandb]

40. Meanwhile, former CONservative Canadian PM Harper

Seen leaving the west wing of the White House today.

Things that make you go "WTF?"

[Kingofalldems]

41. Not really a good try there.

Any OPs about Trump and his gropings?

[LisaL]

42. I'd say.

Allegations made by an unnamed reporter that appeared in un-signed editorial, 18 years ago.

[MicaelS]

52. The lesson for politicians is getting to be....

Do not touch people, except to shake their hands, lest your behavior be misinterpreted. Especially applies to male politicians and females who approach them.