According to former Biden staffers who talked with the New York Post, the “work husband” of First Lady Jill Biden is a known sexual harasser in the White House and is nonetheless considered “untouchable” by human resources because of their connection.
Three people who were given the right to remain anonymous to discuss a toxic work environment and a culture that they believe is ripe for another “Me Too” moment claim that Anthony Bernal, 50, has publicly made assumptions about the penis sizes of many coworkers.
“It is to make people uncomfortable and to have power over them,” said one source to the Post who worked with Bernal for several years.
“It is Me Too — classic Me Too,” the source added.
Since the Obama administration, Bernal has pushed colleagues to compare the size of their genitalia to the size of their thumbs, placing subordinates in an extremely awkward position with a man who, according to sources, is too close to Jill Biden to be controlled.
According to a second source, Bernal “often” made open comments regarding the size of his penis, even to Secret Service agents who were assigned to the first family’s detail.
A third source continued, saying that when Bernal “remarked on another staffer’s bulge in his khakis,” he was taking a “jab” at a common colleague.
“It was a lot of inappropriate remarks — talking about other people’s attractiveness and speculating about their sex lives at very weird moments… that’s actually sexual harassment,” said the source.
“I have heard him say inappropriate things about people’s sexuality or pry inappropriately into people’s personal lives,” another added. “I heard him ask if people are gay all the time.”
According to one of the individuals, Jill Biden’s decision to keep Bernal on staff is “hypocritical,” and she threatened to dismiss other employees “on the spot” for acting with such “disrespect” at work.
One person commented, “It reflects poorly on the president and the first lady.”
Another said, “They talk a big game about integrity, decency, and kindness, but you experience anything but that when you work for the Bidens.”
From the post:
“I don’t think people understand how much power and influence he has. The problem is it is career-ending for anyone to talk on the record for these stories,” said one of the sources, who described Bernal as creating a “hostile work environment” for employees of both the first lady’s East Wing and those he encountered in the West Wing.
“The dignity speech doesn’t apply to him and everyone knows that. This is not new behavior, and that’s what’s so upsetting, because no one does anything.”
“He’s seen as untouchable due to his relationship with the first lady,” one former White House official said. “Staff have been told he’s ‘protected’ by Jill or that they should take it up with him directly.”
The White House pushed back forcefully against the Post’s story, saying in a statement from Biden’s chief of staff, “The president and first lady have full confidence in Anthony’s character, as do I. His many fans at the White House know him to be both gracious and tough, holding himself up to the highest standards, with a heart dedicated to public service. It is disappointing that he is the target of unfounded attacks from unnamed sources.”
