Peter Schorsch
Up until the moment a special master’s report found credible evidence of Jack Latvala‘s sexual misconduct, I was a defender of the Republican state Senator’s right to due process and, to some extent, an opportunity to confront his accusers.
But after former Judge Ronald Swanson issued a report that Latvala inappropriately touched a top Senate aide and may have broken the law by offering a witness in the case his support for legislation in exchange for sex acts, there was no way anyone could still stand by Latvala’s side, especially since he kept many of those close to him in the dark about the full extent of his legal vulnerabilities.
Yet, apparently, there are still a few people not related to Latvala taking up his cause, namely the editorial board of the Tampa Bay Times.
In an editorial lamenting the hits, errors and misses of the 2018 Legislative Session, Tim Nickens and Co. rightly criticize lawmakers for failing to deliver on reforming sexual harassment laws and policies.
Yet, inexplicably, if not mind-bogglingly, the editorial board writes that “the rhetoric from many lawmakers about changing a toxic work environment in the state Capitol appears to have been cover for ousting a moderate Republican who made too many enemies.”
I don’t write this lightly, but are you f*cking kidding me?
Is the Times really suggesting that Richard Corcoran, Lizbeth Benacquisto, Rob Bradley, Matt Caldwell and others spoke out loudly about “the toxic work environment in the state Capitol” as a ploy to sideline Latvala?
Wasn’t it rather that they, like Latvala’s attorney Steve Andrews, almost threw up when they learned about the extent of Latvala’ serial abuse?
A former lobbyist whose name was redacted in the released copy of Swanson’s report said Latvala would touch her inappropriately, including touching the outside of her bra and panties, every time they were alone in his office.
She said he “intimated to her on multiple occasions, that if she engaged in sexual acts or allowed him to touch her body in a sexual manner he would support legislative items for which she was lobbying,” Swanson wrote. That included explicit text messages sent to the woman.
But if you go by the Tampa Bay Times editorial board, Latvala’s problem was not forcing a lobbyist to engage in a quid pro quo for sexual favors, it’s that he was a “moderate” who “made too many enemies.”
Alexandra Glorioso, one of the POLITICO Florida journalists who first reported about Latvala’s pattern of sexual harassment, took to Twitter Sunday to comment about the Times editorial board’s position. (I took to Twitter Friday night to criticize the editorial as soon as I read it).
Among the smart points Glorioso makes:
— It’s inexplicable that the Times editorial board can criticize the Legislature for failing to take sexual harassment seriously, yet criticize some lawmakers for investigating “its hometown Senator.”
— The Times editorial board “continues to refer to Jack Latvala as a ‘moderate Republican who made too many enemies’ and not a former Senator who resigned in disgrace after two independent investigators concluded he likely sexually assaulted and harassed women.”
This is an interesting point because on the same weekend this editorial ran, the Times published a story about former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, whom it describes as “disgraced” even though his sins were, arguably, not as consequential as Latvala’s.
If you read between the lines of this editorial and the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald’s coverage of L’Affaire Latvala writ large, it’s that – darn it – Florida would have been a lot better off if Latvala had been around to stick up to Corcoran’s House, etc., on the hometown issues the Times feels passionately about (consolidation of the USF system, for example).
Think of it as some sort of victim shaming in which the few lawmakers who spoke out (early) against Latvala are now being editorialized against for having done so.
And one final note: As Glorioso notes, editorials of the Tampa Bay Times are unsigned and “represent the institutional opinion of the newspaper.”
Accordingly, this editorial brings shame to the entire institution.
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Material from the Associated Press was used in this post.
2 comments
Travis Jefferson
March 19, 2018 at 11:59 am
Interesting how one sided you are. The legislators that were jumping up and down and screaming how bad it was, especially the female ones, are the very ones that blocked sexual harassment reform. Both reports (including the special magistrate) that came out about Latvala had numerous holes in them. Funny you missed that. Senator Simpson knew about his aide being harassed for 6 months and did nothing about it? Noticed you didn’t go after that one either. While I would never tolerate any kind of sexual harassment, and fully believe it should be addressed immediately, you and the rest of the press automatically from the first report accused Latvala as guilty. The man has not even had a hearing, or trial yet. Let alone the fact he hasn’t even been charged with anything. If he is charged and found guilty then and ONLY THEN should any of you be reporting such harsh reports. Lets get this country back where it belongs. A person is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
Paul
March 19, 2018 at 9:44 pm
Finding “probable cause” that something “may” have occurred is not the same thing as proving that it occurred.
That joke of a “Report” Ron Swanson issued was missing a lot of the story changes that Rachel Perrin Rogers offered up during the “investigation” and the only “witness” who supported Rachel’s bs story was a woman who has aged beyond her prime and was upset that Jack did not marry her. You are out of touch, Peter. The majority of people in the political world saw that “investigation” for the witch hunt that it was.
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