Scott Brown calls ex-Fox host harassment charge ‘totally false’
Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) on Tuesday denied acting inappropriately toward a former Fox News host who accused him of sexual harassment in a lawsuit.
Andrea Tantaros filed the suit Monday, accusing the network of running a “Playboy Mansion-like cult.”
{mosads}In it, she alleges that several Fox hosts and guests made unwanted sexual advances or comments toward her, including Brown — a Fox contributor — as well as Bill O’Reilly, Ben Collins, Dean Cain and others. None was listed as a defendant in the case, though.
Brown firmly denied the accusations in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
“There were never any circumstances of any kind whatsoever in which I had any interaction with her or any other employee at Fox, outside the studio,” Brown said.
“If there was ever a chance encounter at a restaurant, or public place, all interactions were professional and cordial. All interactions and contacts were in the studio in NYC and always in full view of all staff, personnel and talent,” he added.
“In the 3 years I have been working there, I treat all people there the same, whether they be male or female. If I am asked to make a witness statement of some sort, I look forward to that opportunity.”
Tantaros says in the lawsuit that an incident with Brown took place in August 2015 when he appeared on the Fox News show “Outnumbered.”
“Brown made a number of sexually inappropriate comments to Tantaros on set, including, and in a suggestive manner, that Tantaros ‘would be fun to go to a nightclub with,’ ” the lawsuit claims. “After the show was over, Brown snuck up behind Tantaros while she was purchasing lunch and put his hands on her lower waist.”
Tantaros recoiled and told Brown to stop, the suit says.
It also charges that Fox News retaliated against Tantaros for complaining to management about harassment.
Tantaros, 37, has not been seen on the network since April. The network said the reason for her absence was a contract dispute around her book “Tied Up in Knots.”
Fox News told The Hill it would not comment on pending legal proceedings.
Brown won a special election in 2010 to become a Massachusetts senator, replacing the deceased Edward Kennedy (D). He lost the seat in 2012 to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D).
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