Politics & Government
Former Ed Murray Spokesman Accused Of Sexual Misconduct: Report
Benton Strong was accused of harassment while working at the Center for America Progress, according to a new Buzzfeed report.
SEATTLE, WA - Disgraced ex-Seattle mayor Ed Murray's former chief spokesman has been accused of sexual harassment, according to a report in Buzzfeed. Benton Strong, a longtime Democratic operative, was working as a manager at the Center for American Progress when he was accused of harassment.
Leaders at the Center for American Progress were alerted to the harassment after a staffer resigned, citing Strong as the reason why. The woman's resignation came one hour after the bombshell release of the Access Hollywood tape revealing President Donald Trump's use of violent language toward women, Buzzfeed reported.
Murray resigned in mid-September 2017 following multiple accusations of sexual assault and abuse. Strong left his job as spokesman around Sept. 19. That day, he posted a photo of City Hall and the word "thanks" on Twitter.
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According to his LinkedIn page, Strong worked as the communications director for the Washington State Democrats in 2012 and 2013. He worked at CAP for about between 2014 and 2016 before joining Murray's staff in August 2016.
It's unclear how far Seattle officials looked into Strong's behavior at CAP. Documents in his personnel file, provided to Patch through a public records request, reveal that he was suspended from CAP job in 2016 for three days for "inappropriate communication" with a subordinate employee.
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Strong passed a criminal background check when he was hired by Murray, according to the personnel file. Although technically a civil matter, a woman did seek a protection order against Strong in 2007 for stalking and harassment, according to King County court records.
He later rejoined the city of Seattle with the Office of Sustainability. He resigned from that position in early April. According to city of Seattle data, Strong made about $66 per hour when he worked for Murray.
Caption: Benton Strong appeared on MSNBC in 2010 dressed as a barrel of oil to protest the BP oil spill. Strong was working for the Clean Energy Works.
Image via YouTube
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