Amidst sexual misconduct controversies bringing down some of Hollywood's biggest players, in producer Harvey Weinstein and director James Toback, over the past couple of weeks, came the most shocking claim on Tuesday (October 24), when a man who once occupied the world's most powerful office was accused of sexually assaulting a reputed actress.
In a message posted and then deleted from Instagram - one day after Weinstein's list of accusers reached 50, and within hours of news reports referencing some 200 women who have gone on record to allege that they were sexually harassed by Toback - Turn: Washington's Spies actress Heather Lind shared an account of how she was groped by President George H.W. Bush in 2014.
“He didn’t shake my hand. He touched me from behind from his wheelchair with his wife Barbara Bush by his side. He told me a dirty joke. And then, all the while being photographed, touched me again," Lind wrote. The former Boardwalk Empire actress was detailing an interaction she claims to have occurred during a screening that was held one week before the premiere of her most recent drama. Lind noted that coming across a photo of President Obama shaking Bush Sr.'s hand moved her to open up about the shocking incident, writing, "he sexually assaulted me while I was posing for a similar photo."
According to Lind, the former First Lady noticed what Bush had done and simply rolled her eyes, while a guard working the 41st President's security detail simply told her she shouldn't have stood so close to him. The New York Daily News reports that in response to its query into the matter, a spokesperson for the former President apologized all the while downplaying the severity of Lind's claim. "President Bush would never — under any circumstance — intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologizes if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind," the publication cites the representative as stating.
Source: nydailynews.com
