There is breaking news today in Maine as Speaker of the House Sara Gideon was asked about her refusal to act when made aware of allegations against a sexual predator in her caucus.

When asked today on Maine Public Radio‘s Maine Calling program, Gideon lashed out at the question, and repeatedly said “there was nothing” to the allegations:

There was nothing, until that Bollard article was actually published that said that individuals had come forward to that reporter. And before that, there was nothing but a rumor.

THERE WERE AT LEAST 9 SOMETHINGS THAT GIDEON CALLED “NOTHING”

  1. The all-girls school fired Dillon Bates
  2. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services was investigating Bates
  3. The Maine Department of Education was investigating Bates
  4. The local police department was investigating Bates
  5. The state’s 24-hour student abuse hotline was notified about Bates
  6. Bates acknowledged to school administrators the sexual text messages sent to a student
  7. The local theater banned Bates from attending plays
  8. There was a petition at the all-girls school to address Bates’ firing
  9. The Maine Girls’ Academy closed, with some suspecting Bates’ actions contributed

BUT THE BIGGEST SOMETHING: GIDEON ADMITTED SHE KNEW

  1. a spokeswoman for Speaker Gideon, confirms the speaker has known about misconduct allegations against Bates for “several months.” (WMTW)

Clearly, Gideon is not comfortable being asked about her failure to act (cover-up) of an alleged sexual predator in her caucus. But there remains a series of unanswered questions about what unfolded, and why she allowed for a predator to continue serving in her caucus. Watch the latest from the NRSC on the matter here.

“Gideon knew, so it is simply not true for her to say “there was nothing” to the allegations against Dillon Bates,” said NRSC spokesperson Nathan Brand. “Instead of acting to protecting underage victims, Gideon covered up the allegations made against Dillon Bates and even applauded him after knowing what had been alleged.”

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