It’s gratifying and also a bit of a relief to see that The Oregonian’s editorial board has written an op-ed excoriating Gordon Sondland’s response to the three women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. Gratifying, because this is what Sondland deserves; and a relief, because I’d been wondering how much the generally establishment-oriented editorial board would respond to these allegations against our local businessman-turned-international-man-of-intrigue-and-Trump-co-conspirator. The writers zero in on the “shallow and outlandish defense mounted by Sondland,” who they say is “trying to prove his innocence through a weird combination of conspiracy theory, smear campaign and victim-blaming clichés.”

Particularly welcome and on point is their refutation of Sondland’s argument that the women’s long delay in making their accusations somehow discredits them; as the board writes, “One of the most profound changes wrought by the #MeToo movement is that the public is finally understanding why victims keep quiet [. . .] New articles have detailed how perpetrators have used threats and retaliation to intimidate victims, making the prospect of going public not worth the hit to victims’ reputations or careers.” As the three women’s stories involved accounts not only of sexual harassment but of subsequent retaliation by Sondland against their careers or business interests, it is easy to see how well-grounded fears of further retaliation would have inhibited making public their stories. The Oregonian concludes by writing, “[A] defense built on insinuation, threat and old-timey notions of how women should behave doesn’t stand a chance.” Let’s hope so.