This candidate for governor wants you to know just how many women he’s slept with
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Neill, who is also a Democratic candidate for governor, took to Facebook Friday to “speak up on behalf of heterosexual males” in light of recent sexual assault allegations.
“Now that the dogs of war are calling for the head of Senator Al Franken, I believe it is time to speak up on behalf of all heterosexual males,” O'Neill wrote on Facebook.
On Thursday, radio host Leeann Tweeden accused Sen. Al Franken of previously kissing and groping her without consent.
O'Neill wrote that he would “save his opponents some research time.”
“I was sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females,” he wrote. “It ranged from a gorgeous blonde who was my first true love and we made passionate love in the hayloft of her parents barn and ended with a drop dead gorgeous red head from Cleveland.”
He wrote that he is “disappointed by this national feeding frenzy about sexual indiscretions decades ago,” and wants to “get back” to discussing other issues such as legalizing marijuana and the opioid crisis.
O'Neill confirmed with local media that he wrote the post, according to Dayton Daily News.
Betty Sutton, a Democrat who, like O’Neill, is running for governor, tweeted that she was “appalled” by O’Neill’s remarks. She said she’s “outraged he would equate sexual assault with indiscretion.”
As an attorney I'm appalled at these remarks of @billforohio, a Justice, as a democrat I'm horrified he would belittle victims of sexual harassment/assault this way and as a woman I'm outraged he would equate sexual assault with indiscretion. He should resign immediately. pic.twitter.com/uPyFsH8Tma
— Betty Sutton (@BettySutton) November 17, 2017
Ohio Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, a Republican who is also in the governor’s race, tweeted that the Facebook post was “ill-timed and dismissive at best.”
“We have to be better than this,” she tweeted.
There’s a very serious conversation going on right now in this country about sexual harassment and @BillForOhio's crass post is ill-timed and dismissive at best. We have to be better than this. https://t.co/Ee1p9q9pc0
— Mary Taylor (@MaryTaylorOH) November 17, 2017
In an interview with Cleveland.com, O’Neill defended Alabama senator candidate Roy Moore, who is accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl in 1979. He said that Moore seems to be a morally “challenged individual,” but “never had the opportunity” to defend himself and hasn’t been convicted of anything. Moore is a former judge on the Alabama Supreme Court.
He also said he wasn’t sure if he’s had sex with 50 women because he “doesn’t keep count,” according to Cleveland.com.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, a democrat who is also running against O’Neill for Ohio governor, tweeted that O’Neill should resign.
Sexual harassment, degrading and devaluing women is not a joke. Justice O’Neill should resign. #ohgov pic.twitter.com/KDwSVZMGA3
— Nan Whaley (@nanwhaley) November 17, 2017
O’Neill has edited his post to remove the specific occupations of the women he said he had sex with.
O’Neill is listed as “single” on his Facebook page. His wife Laura Shaylah O’Neill died in a car accident in 1995, according to his website. He was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2012.
This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 2:36 PM with the headline "This candidate for governor wants you to know just how many women he’s slept with."