Another woman has come forward alleging inappropriate behavior from Republican state Sen. Peter Lucido.
Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) told Crain's Detroit Business that Lucido (R-Shelby Township) harassed her during a daylong orientation session for new senators that included sexual harassment prevention training:
During a break, McMorrow said she approached Lucido to introduce herself to the Shelby Township Republican, who was a sitting House member at the time.
"He shook my hand and with his other hand held my low back with his fingers on my hips, effectively upper rear, and we had a back-and-forth conversation," said McMorrow, a Royal Oak Democrat.
"And he asked where I was from," McMorrow said. "I said, 'Royal Oak.' He asked who I ran against. And I said, 'I beat Marty Knollenberg.' At which point he looked me up and down, raised his eyebrows and said, 'I can see why.'"
McMorrow says she decided to go public with her story because of last week's story from 22-year-old Michigan Advance reporter Allison Donahue, who alleged that Lucido made demeaning comments to her when she asked him questions about his connections to a misogynistic Facebook page first reported by Metro Times. Donahue included Lucido's alleged comments in her story, which went viral — getting picked up by national and international outlets and sparking a Senate investigation into Lucido's behavior.
"Once I saw (Allison Donahue) give an interview and she said 'it made me feel small,' I felt guilty," McMorrow told Crain's. "I felt like had I said something sooner maybe this wouldn't have happened to her."
Metro Times' report about the Facebook page — which featured calls for violence against Democrats, and which moderators shut down once we started asking questions — has had wide-reaching impact. Last week, Gov. Whitmer sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling for the company to do a better job of regulating dangerous speech on its platform. The company responded that "even a single piece that’s posted is too many. We appreciate Governor Whitmer bringing this to our attention."
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