Trump mocks #MeToo movement
Washington, Oct 11: US President Donald Trump has mocked the #MeToo movement as he intensified his criticism of the campaign against sexual harassment and assault which nearly hit his Supreme Court pick Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Trump's claim that #MeToo prevents him for using the phrase is his latest volley against the movement, which became a force after sexual assault allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein surfaced last year.
"There's an expression, but under the rules of #MeToo, I am not allowed to use that expression anymore. I can't do it," Trump said at a mid-term election rally in Pennsylvania, and then he pointed at the phrase "the girl that got away".
"It's the person that got away. The old days, it was a little different than Pennsylvania to it," he said as he spoke about winning the statein the 2016 presidential election
Pointing to the media, Trump said he would use the original phrase, except for the media. "I would do it except for these people up there. They would say, did you hear what President Trump said? Did you hear what he said?" he said imitating reporters.
"So, there is an expression, but we'll change the expression. Pennsylvania was always the person that got away. That's pretty good," he said amidst applause from the audience.
The revelation of the allegations against Weinstein inspired many women to reveal their own stories of sexual assault, but Trump has recently taken shots at the #MeToo movement by expressing concern for men who are accused of sexual assault or harassment.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's recent confirmation hearings renewed attention to the topic as the Senate considered Christine Blasey Ford's accusation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. The president had said the notion that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted someone and that the allegations from Ford and other women could be taken as fact made this a very scary time for young men in America.
Trump had earlier mocked the #MeToo movement at a rally in July. He did so while simultaneously mocking Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and saying that should she win the Democratic nomination in 2020 and they were to debate, he would toss an ancestry test to her and dare her to take it.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, at least 13 women accused Trump of misbehavior ranging from sexual harassment to sexual assault.
They came forward in the wake of a 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape that was released in October 2016 in which he is caught saying on a hot mic: "And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab them by the p***y. You can do anything."
The President denies all the allegations against him.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka MLA Vinay Kulkarni disqualified after conviction in Goudar murder case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Saturday issued an official notification regarding the disqualification of Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni following his conviction in the murder case of BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar.
The former minister is currently in prison, serving life imprisonment in the case.
“Consequent upon the conviction of Vinay Kulkarni, Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly representing the Dharwad constituency, by the LXXXI Additional City Civil & Sessions Judge, Bengaluru City (CCH-82), in Spl CC No. 565/2021, he stands disqualified from the membership of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the date of conviction, i.e, April 15, 2026,” the notification read.
“He stands disqualified in terms of the provisions of Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution of India, read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and such disqualification shall continue for a further period of six years after his release, unless the conviction is stayed by a competent court,” it added.
Hence, one seat in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly has fallen vacant, the notification said.
Bypolls were held on April 9 to fill two other seats in the 224-member Assembly that fell vacant due to the death of sitting MLAs. The results will be declared on May 4.
On April 15, Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat convicted Kulkarni and others under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and murder. Subsequently, on April 17, the court sentenced Kulkarni and 15 others convicted in the case to life imprisonment.
The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at that time. Hired assailants attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym at Saptapur in Dharwad.
Following demands from Goudar’s family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.
The CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2020, naming Vinay Kulkarni as the “main conspirator.” It alleged that he perceived Yogeshgouda Goudar as a growing political rival in Dharwad and hired contract killers to eliminate him.
Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI in 2020. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in August 2021 under certain conditions, including a ban on entering Dharwad district. However, in June 2025, the apex court cancelled his bail following allegations of witness tampering and attempts to influence prosecution witnesses.
Kulkarni again sought bail in January 2026, but the High Court rejected it, citing judicial propriety.
However, the Supreme Court granted him bail on February 27 after noting that all witnesses had been examined.
