Democratic congressional candidate Katie Porter, who has repeatedly called out her opponent Rep. Mimi Walters (R., Calif.) for remaining quiet about the allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh this week, declined to answer repeated questions about sexual harassment and misconduct charges against several Democratic candidates and lawmakers.
Just hours after harshly criticizing Walters for keeping mum on the Kavanaugh controversy, Porter chose not to respond to a series of questions about sexual harassment allegations against Democratic candidate Gil Cisneros and whether he should withdraw his candidacy, as well as charges that Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn.) physically abused his ex-girlfriend.
A video taken Thursday, which the Washington Free Beacon obtained, shows Porter walking with an aide on a street in Washington while ignoring a series of questions about what she thinks of the allegations against Cisneros and Ellison and what Democrats should do in response.
"Ms. Porter, welcome to D.C., we just want to know if you think Gil Cisneros should drop out of the race just like a lot of people think Brett Kavanaugh should be taking himself off consideration?" an unidentified man asks Porter, who does not respond and continues walking and talking to an aide.
"Should Gil Cisneros and his accuser be believed?" the man asks. "Should the same be said for Keith Ellison? Why aren’t Democrats standing up to the [Democratic National Committee] co-chair?"
"He's saying that women are cooking up allegations against him, do you agree with that?" the questioner continues. "Don't you believe that women should be believed, Ms. Porter?"
Porter, who is running in California’s 45th district, in May disclosed that she was forced to obtain a protective order against her now-ex-husband in 2013 after enduring physical and verbal abuse that caused her to call law enforcement multiple times.
Just hours before Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, captivated the nation with their dramatic and emotional Senate testimony about an alleged sexual assault she says took place more than 35 years ago, Porter slammed Walters on Twitter for staying silent about the national firestorm over Ford’s charges.
"While Dr. Christine Blasey Ford shows strength and courage for sharing her story [sic] @MimiWaltersCA remains silent – that’s not leadership, that’s not courage. #BelieveWomen #BelieveSurvivors," Porter tweeted at 8:22 a.m. Thursday.
One day earlier, on Wednesday, Porter tweeted out two harsh criticisms of Walters on the Kavanaugh controversy.
"It's outrageous, but not surprising that @MimiWaltersCA remains quiet as more allegations of sexual misconduct surface against Brett Kavanaugh," Porter said in another tweet. "After all, she said nothing while @realdonaldtrump bragged about sexually assaulting women."
She also pressed Walters to speak out about her thoughts on the charges against Kavanaugh.
"Where does Mimi stand on the Kavanaugh allegations? Does she believe the FBI needs to re-open a background investigation? Californians deserve to know her position."
Cisneros, a multi-millionaire lottery winner, Navy veteran, and former Frito Lay manager, is running for Congress in a tight race against former GOP state legislator Young Kim in an Orange County district. A fellow California Democrat accused him of sexual harassment in the form of an inappropriate sexual "pay for play" demand back in February outside an elevator during the Democratic Party convention in San Diego.
Cisneros has firmly denied the charges and has tried to dispute his accuser’s timeline.
Ellison, a deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, for months has faced domestic violence charges leveled by an ex-girlfriend Karen Monahan. Ellison is currently running for Minnesota attorney general and last week accused Monahan of fabricating the charges against him. He also said he couldn't be sure other women wouldn't come forward and "cook up" other allegations against him.
Porter's campaign committee did not return a request for comment about why she chose to ignore the questions about how she feels about Cisneros and Ellison, considering her earlier #BelieveWomen #BelieveSurvivors tweets and demands that Walters express a public opinion about the Kavanaugh charges.
The Free Beacon also asked Porter's campaign whether she believes Rep. Tony Cardenas (D., Calif.), who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s political action committee, shook step down or take a leave of absence while a Los Angeles court considers a lawsuit charging him with drugging and molesting a 16-year-old girl in 2007.
The woman filed the lawsuit against Cardenas in late April. A judge last week ruled that the woman could amend her complaint to add new facts and an allegation of negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Cardenas has vociferously denied the charges.
Top Democrats in Congress, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D., Md.), have called for a House Ethics Committee investigation into the allegations against Cardenas.
The panel has yet to announce whether it has launched a problem.
No Democrats, including Pelosi and top-ranking Hispanic members of Congress, have called on Cardenas to step down from the political action committee that he runs.
A spokesman for Rep. Linda Sanchez (D., Calif.), the vice chair of the Democratic caucus, did not respond to a request for comment on the misconduct charges against Cisneros, Ellison and Cardenas.