Nicole Higgins DeSmet | Burlington Free Press

Ryan Mercer, Free Press Staff Writer

RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS

Three Vermont politicians were called out on social media this week for posts they'd made making light of sexual assault or minimizing claims of sexual assault.

The criticism occurred amid the national debate over allegations against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

One case involved a three-year-old video in which a man who is running for office in 2018 made jokes about lusting for a female dentist.

The other two cases resulted from tweets made by two Vermont Republicans this month about women who have come forward accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault or misconduct.

Each post drew attention in a week when Palo Alto University psychology professor testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about a sexual assault accusation she has made about Kavanaugh stemming from a night in 1982 when both were teenagers.

Standup comedy routine makes light of sexual assault

Dustin Tanner is a Democratic/Progressive state Senate candidate this year in Franklin County. He appears in a 2015 video in which he makes jokes about the breasts of a female dentist working on his teeth. The punch line: "I was lucky I didn't commit sexual assault."

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

The video stems from a 21-and-over comedy class performance he made at Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington, Tanner said Friday.

"It's not acceptable," Tanner said of the jokes he told. "I would probably never tell a joke like that ever again."

He said he was 21 when the video was recorded, noting at the time he'd received positive feedback from family and classmates. He posted it to Facebook around that time and forgot about it until he received an anonymous email in May.

"I went back and rewatched it and realized it's not appropriate today," Tanner said. He has since taken the video clip down.

Republican Party official revealed video's existence

The existence of the video came to light when Shayne Spence of St. Albans, who currently works for Republican Don Turner's campaign for lieutenant governor, posted the video on Twitter.

Spence said he knew about the video in June and it had weighed on him.

"It became apparent to me, if I knew this existed and I didn't say something about it, I would feel bad later on," Spence said. The video raises questions about character and judgment, he said, but acknowledged respect for Tanner after reading that he apologized to constituents in a Seven Days article published Thursday.

As for next steps he said: "the voters will decide."

For his part, Tanner described Spence's tweet as "a political attack."

"I've grown," he said. "The #metoo movement has grown. I personally know survivors of sexual assault and I'm glad they are speaking out now."

Tanner said he hopes to move the conversation forward and is willing to talk to anyone he might have offended "to listen and learn what I can do to help."

Tanner's opponents comment on 'sexual assault' joke video

The Burlington Free Press reached out to Tanner's opponents for comment.

Cory Parent of St. Albans, a Republican and one of four candidate running in the two-seat Senate district, told the Free Press he was more focused on his campaign than Tanner's video. He offered that the joking in the comedy routine was inappropriate and Tanner should "issue an apology."

Democrat Pam McCarthy, another candidate in the race, responded in an email.

"This is an important lesson that in this day and age, anything one puts online is completely public," McCarthy said. She added that it was "disheartening to know the lengths some people will go to to discredit others to further their own agendas."

Republican Randy Brock, the fourth candidate in the race, has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Burlington GOP Twitter account tweets about Julie Swetnick

A tweet this past week by the Burlington Republican Party appeared to question the validity of accusations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh and his high school friends made by Julie Swetnick, who is represented by Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti.

The tweet from @BTV_GOP, which was later taken down, states, "Kavanaugh grew up in Bethesda; Swetnick in a more blue-collar community in the actual Burbs. Swetnick graduated from public HS in 1980; Kavanaugh '83 (prep). In what world would they have partied with each other in high school?"

Burlington Republican Party Chairman Paco DeFrancis, who runs the Twitter account, did not disown the tweet when asked if he was its author.

Courtesy

"That is clearly regarding Julie Swatnick (sic) and not Dr Ford," DeFrancis said in a direct message on Twitter to the Burlington Free Press. "I have no comment unless Swatnick is called to testify."

When asked a second time if he authored the post, he did not reply.

Orleans County GOP chair suggests Ford 'sexual fantasy'

Chet Greenwood, of Derby, the chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party, also removed a tweet this month.

His said this: "I think Christine was having a sexual fantasy."

The tweet was made days before Thursday's hearing in response to a post by The Daily Caller, a conservative news organization, which called into question the details in Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford's account of her sexual assault.

Courtesy

Greenwood acknowledged the tweet came from his account but said he doesn't recall posting it. He removed it after receiving feedback that it was inappropriate, he said.

"I apologize if it offended anyone," Greenwood said. The Republican official also said he received three tweets criticizing his tweet and three telephone calls from individuals suggesting he should never have taken it down.