Larry Elder, a Republican seeking to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the Sept. 14 recall race, criticized CNN Friday for running a story about him dismissing a sexual harassment complaint in years past.
On his radio show in 2011, Elder mentioned that he’d been accused of sexual harassment two times.
Elder said that in one instance, he was accused of “hitting on” a woman who tried to break a non-compete clause in her contract.
“If you’d seen her, you’d know that the picture [of her] would be a complete defense, I’m just saying,” Elder said during the 2011 show.
Elder, speaking in Sherman Oaks, said he considered not running for governor because “the media would find anything, everything, true or untrue, about my private life, and twist it into something.”
“It’s really a little cheeky for CNN to even be bringing that up,” Elder added.
Additionally, Elder recently faced allegations from his ex-fiancee, who accused him of brandishing a gun during a domestic dispute. He denies those charges, and prosecutors declined to bring charges against him.
Elder also pledged to support small business and not shut them down due to COVID-19 concerns, contrasting his views with Newsom’s public-health decisions during the pandemic.
“To just destroy the hopes and dreams of people that work and work and work their small businesses has been outrageous,” Elder said.