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Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
Politics
Larry McShane

Hillary Clinton backed faith adviser after he was accused of sex harassment

Hillary Clinton's faith adviser received a pass from the former first lady when he was accused of sexual harassment during her 2008 presidential campaign _ only to sin again.

Spiritual counsel Burns Strider, whose duties included sending Clinton a daily scripture reading, was fired by a pro-Clinton group for similar misconduct during her 2016 White House run, according to a Friday report in The New York Times.

Eight years earlier, Clinton successfully argued to keep Strider around despite allegations that he inappropriately rubbed a subordinate's shoulders and sent her a series of suggestive emails, the Times reported.

In both cases, the charges involved the co-founder of the American Values Network harassing younger females. In the 2008 case, he was sent off for counseling and lost several weeks of pay.

But a then-married Strider returned to his position as a senior aide while the female staffer was relocated to another job.

Strider was working in 2016 with the pro-Clinton group Correct the Record when allegations arose that he had harassed a younger female aide.

The law firm that represented Clinton during her failed 2008 run against Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination issued a statement about the earlier Strider case.

"To ensure a safe working environment, the campaign had a process to address complaints of misconduct or harassment," read the statement from Utrecht, Kleinfeld, Fiori, Partners.

"When matters arose, they were reviewed in accordance with these policies, and appropriate action was taken. This complaint was no exception."

The Times report indicated that Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle, along with other senior officials, was bothered when the candidate supported Strider.

Doyle was overruled after approaching Clinton with a call for Strider's dismissal from the campaign.

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