COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Latest on a sexually detailed Facebook post by Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill (all times local):
6:55 p.m.
An Ohio state Supreme Court justice running for governor has a message for people who’ve criticized him for volunteering candid details about his sexual past on Facebook: “Lighten up folks.”
Democrat William O’Neill posted Friday he’s been “sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females” including “a gorgeous blonde” in a hay loft. He says the post grew out of frustration over Democrats’ calls to remove Al Franken from the U.S. Senate over sexual misconduct allegations.
Critics say O’Neill is trivializing the issue.
O’Neill says when a U.S. senator “commits a non criminal act of indiscretion” and his apology is accepted by the victim “IT IS WRONG for the dogs of war to leap onto his back and demand his resignation.”
He says people calling for him to quit his job are “sanctimonious judges.”
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3:15 p.m.
Another candidate for Ohio governor is calling on state Supreme Court Justice and gubernatorial contender William O’Neill to resign over a Facebook post in which he volunteered candid details of his sexual past.
Former state Rep. Connie Pillich, a fellow Democrat, condemned O’Neill Friday for “joking and trivializing sexual assault.” She also plans to give O’Neill’s past campaign donations to organizations helping women.
O’Neill says the post grew out of frustration over Democrats’ calls to remove Al Franken from the U.S. Senate over sexual misconduct allegations and his belief that the story line was taking accounts of people’s “sexual indiscretions” too far.
Ohio Democratic Chairman David Pepper also commented on the quickly escalating controversy, calling it “just a terrible post” that dehumanized women and trivialized an important national conversation about rape culture and sexual assault.
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2:45 p.m.
The campaign spokesman for Ohio State Supreme Court Justice and Democratic gubernatorial candidate William O’Neill has resigned over a Facebook post in which his boss wrote about his sexual past.
Christopher Clevenger says on Twitter that, as a victim of sexual assault, he “cannot in good faith” remain a part of O’Neill’s campaign team. He called the post “disturbing and misguided” and said he had no prior knowledge O’Neill was making it.
Clevenger’s decision came as criticism mounted over O’Neill’s Friday posting. It said he’d been “sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females,” then detailed two specific encounters.
O’Neill says the post grew out of frustration over Democrats’ calls to remove Al Franken from the U.S. Senate over sexual misconduct allegations and a belief that the story line had gone too far.
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2:25 p.m.
Several leading Ohio women are condemning a state Supreme Court justice and gubernatorial candidate for writing a Facebook post that containing candid details of his sexual past with “approximately 50” women.
Former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, a leading Democrat in the governor’s race, called for Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill to resign immediately, saying he was trivializing sexual harassment and assault.
Republican Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, also a candidate for governor, says his “crass post is ill-timed and dismissive at best.”
Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, the first woman to hold that position, also condemned the post.
O’Neill says the post grew out of frustration over Democrats’ calls to remove Al Franken from the U.S. Senate over sexual misconduct allegations. He said he revealed details about himself because he suspects, as a governor candidate, he’ll soon also be a media target.
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1:15 p.m.
A state Supreme Court justice running for Ohio governor has volunteered candid details of his sexual past on Facebook, saying he was trying to de-legitimize the national “media frenzy” over politicians’ sexual indiscretions.
Democrat William O’Neill posted Friday that he has been “sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females.” He says the women included “a gorgeous blonde” with whom he “made passionate love” in a hay loft and a “drop dead gorgeous red head” from Cleveland.
O’Neill told The Associated Press that the post grew out of frustration over Democrats’ calls to remove Al Franken from the U.S. Senate over sexual misconduct allegations.
After posting the message Friday, he edited it to remove some identifying information about the women.
O’Neill said the misconduct story has gone too far.
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