Is Mike Bloomberg Sexist? Former New York Mayor To Release Women From NDAs

Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg said Friday he is willing to release several women from nondisclosure agreements, bowing to a talking point rivals have been using against him in recent weeks.

Bloomberg said three NDAs had been identified among the dozens of lawsuits that have been filed against his company.

“If any of them want to be released from their NDAs, they should contact the company and they’ll be given a release,” Bloomberg tweeted.

“I’ve had the company go back over its record and they’ve identified three NDAs that we signed over the past 30-plus years with women to address complaints about comments they said I had made,” Bloomberg said in a campaign release, adding he will rescind the agreements if the women want to “talk about those allegations.”

Bloomberg said he has been doing a lot of thinking about the issue in recent days, and “I’ve decided that for as long as I’m running the company, we won’t offer confidentiality agreements to resolve claims of sexual harassment or misconduct going forward.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, told a CNN town hall Thursday she had written up a release and covenant that Bloomberg could download and sign to release those subject to the NDAs.

“So, I used to teach contract law, and I thought I would make this easy,” the former law professor said in offering her legal assistance.

The billionaire former New York mayor countered no one ever had accused him of inappropriate behavior “other than maybe they didn’t like a joke I told.”

“I recognize that NDAs, particularly when they are used in the context of sexual harassment and sexual assault, promote a culture of silence in the workplace and contribute to a culture of women not feeling safe or supported. It is imperative that when problems occur, workplaces not only address the specific incidents, but the culture and practices that led to those incidents. And then leaders must act,” Bloomberg said Friday.

Bloomberg said he has ordered a complete review of policies at Bloomberg LP and pledged to work to pass the Be Heard Act, which would prevent workplace harassment and discrimination. He also asked campaign officials to review its policies.

“When we share a respect for each other and treat all of our colleagues as we ourselves would wish to be treated, we all do our best work. This is something Donald Trump does not understand — not when he ran his business, and not now when he is recklessly running our country,” Bloomberg said.