On Sunday, Iowa Senate Democrats elected Nate Boulton as assistant leader of their caucus. Yes, the very same Boulton who engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct against women and had to drop out of the 2018 governor’s race in disgrace.
As reported by The Des Moines Register, Bouton is a serial sexual predator. One woman told the reporter, Brianne Pfannenstiel, that Boulton “repeatedly rubbed his erection against her without her consent during social gatherings while the two attended Drake University Law School.” Another woman said he did the same to her.
A third woman told Pfannenstiel that Boulton “repeatedly grabbed her buttocks at a bar in 2015.” With his wife nearby, Boulton, in a “very flagrant” way, put his hand on her butt while they were watching a performance. The woman told Pfannenstiel that she “remembers backing up against the wall of an East Village bar in 2015, hoping that physically barricading half her body might stop Boulton from grabbing her buttocks again.” But he kept at it.
When the allegations became public, which was during the heart of the #MeToo movement, then-Senate Minority Leader Janet Petersen called on Boulton to resign. He refused. And now, two years later, Petersen has stepped down as leader, and Senate Democrats have declared that #MeToo is over.
In his failed run for governor, Boulton used the hashtag #RunWithNate to promote the campaign and as an homage to his dedication to distance running. The allegations quickly turned into the hashtag #RunFromNate as accusers came forward.
Today, Iowa Democrats elect Nate Boulton to lead them. Tomorrow, NBC hires Matt Lauer to tape vapid interviews of Hollywood celebrities. #MeWho?