Sherrod Brown Accused of Sexual Misconduct: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has been accused of sexual misconduct, but Brown has dismissed the accusations as politically motivated, unsubstantiated, and “desperate.” The women accusing Senator Brown have not come forward themselves. Instead, Senator Brown’s Republican challenger, Jim Renacci, says they have contacted him to describe their experiences.

Here’s what you need to know about the accusations against Sherrod Brown:

1. One Unnamed Woman Said Brown Pushed Her Roughly Against a Wall in an ‘Uninvited’ and ‘Unwanted’ Sexual Advance

On Thursday night (October 18) a lawyer named Laura Mills released a statement which she said was on behalf of her client, a woman who says that Brown assaulted her in the 1980s. The woman has asked to remain anonymous.

The woman first came to Jim Renacci with her story. Renacci, who is running for Senate against Sherrod Brown, referred her to Mills. Mills is a former business partner of Jim Renacci and has donated money to his political campaigns in the past; she released her statement on his website. You can read the full statement here.

Mills says that her client met Sherrod Brown in the course of her work during the 1980s. One night, they were alone together. The woman says that Brown suddenly, roughly, pushed her up against a wall and made an “uninvited, unwanted, and sudden advance.” She said that after she “expressed dismay” and pushed him away, he did stop, although he told her how he had always been attracted to her. The woman said that she had told her friends about the incident but had decided not to report it. She said she authorized Mills to make her statement public because she had seen other reports about Brown in the press.

2. On Wednesday, Renacci Said ‘Multiple Women’ Had Told Him They Were Assaulted by Sherrod Brown

On October 17, Renacci said that a number of women had spoken to him and claimed that Senator Brown had assaulted them in the 1980s. He told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the women all claimed that Brown had assaulted them during the period after his first marriage ended in divorce. “It’s more than just one instance,” Renacci said. “That makes it even worse.”

However, Renacci didn’t provide any details or specifics. He also didn’t provide the names of any of the women who are accusing Brown of misconduct.

Sherrod Brown has denied that he ever assaulted any woman. His campaign released a statement saying, “Congressman Renacci’s failed and desperate campaign gets worse every day.”

3. Sherrod Brown’s Campaign Has Threatened Legal Action Over the Allegations

On Thursday, Sherrod Brown’s attorney, Erik Elias, sent a letter to Renacci, asking him to stop making “false and libelous statements.”

The email read, in part, “At the very least you were acting with reckless disregard to the truth, as you must have been aware that the statements you were making had no basis in fact.”

The letter said that Renacci could face “legal ramifications” if he continues to make “unsubstantiated and false claims about something that never happened.”

4. Brown’s Ex-Wife Once Accused Him of Assault, but Now Holds Fundraisers for him

In 1986, Sherrod Brown and his then-wife, Larke, were going through a contentious divorce. Larke said that Brown had been guilty of “gross neglect of duty and extreme cruelty toward her,” which she said entitled her to a divorce.

She also asked for a restraining order against Brown, writing in an affidavit on May 12, 1968 that “I am also intimidated by the Defendant and am in fear for the safety and well-being of myself and our children due to the Defendant’s physical violence and abusive nature.”

Brown denied at that time that he had ever been violent toward her or his children.

After Renacci’s campaign ran an ad accusing Brown of domestic abuse, Larke came to her ex-husband’s defense, calling the ad “disgusting.” She and her current husband, Joe Recchie, held a fundraiser in their home to support Brown’s run for Senate. Larke said, “I was proud to support Sherrod in 2006 and 2012 — just as I am this time around. Anyone who suggests he is not an honorable man is just wrong. He’s a great father to our daughters Emily and Liz and he’s a wonderful grandfather to our grandchildren,” she said. “Disparaging my family for political gain is disgusting, and Congressman Renacci should know better.”

5. Brown Has a Double-Digit Lead Against Renacci in the Polls

Sherrod Brown has maintained a sizeable lead over Jim Renacci, his Republican challenger, in the polls.

Brown has accused Renacci of being “desperate” and making unsubstantiated accusations against him as he trails far behind in the polls.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. has tweeted that the accusations against Brown should be taken seriously — the president’s son is urging Ohio voters to go to the polls and vote for Renacci.