Ohio Supreme Court justice says he's been intimate with '50 very attractive females'
Well, that’s one way to handle any stories that could come out about you.
Bill O’Neill, an Ohio Supreme Court justice who has also announced his candidacy for governor, took to Facebook on Friday to describe his past relationships with women. He described them as “approximately 50 very attractive females.”
O’Neill has served on the Ohio Supreme Court since 2013. He announced his gubernatorial candidacy last month.
Below is the full post:
“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. As a candidate for Governor let me save my opponents some research time. In the last fifty years I was sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females. 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.
Now can we get back to discussing legalizing marijuana and opening the state hospital network to combat the opioid crisis. I am sooooo disappointed by this national feeding frenzy about sexual indiscretions decades ago.
Peace.”
While O’Neill, a Democrat, says he is “sooooo disappointed by this national feeding frenzy about sexual indiscretions from decades ago,” it should be noted that his post appears to describe consensual relationships. The allegations that have rocked the country, including those launched at Sen. Al Franken and Senate candidate Roy Moore, have been about sexual misconduct, from harassment to assault.Â
The chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, David Pepper, called O’Neill’s post “terrible.”
Just a terrible post by Justice O’Neill. We’re having a serious national conversation about rape culture and sexual harassment, and it’s crucial for men to take time to listen to women and consider their experiences and insights.
(1/2)
— David Pepper (@DavidPepper) November 17, 2017
(2/2) Justice O’Neill’s Facebook comments both dehumanize women and do nothing but trivialize this important conversation, which is actually about harassment and abuse, not encounters between consenting adults.
— David Pepper (@DavidPepper) November 17, 2017
O’Neill, the only statewide Democratic state office-holder in Ohio, has made overtures toward an already-crowded governor’s race that could get even more crowded. Richard Cordray, the former Ohio treasurer who is now director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has announced he will step down, fueling speculation he may run for governor.
If that happens, Pepper said, O’Neill promised him that he would bow out of the race.
“Regardless for that, I don’t think those comments are appropriate for either a candidate for governor or a sitting Supreme Court justice, to say the least,” he told USA TODAY. “The comments themselves are bizarre and awful.”
Contributing: Gregory Korte
