Bernie Sanders’ political organization Our Revolution imposed a nondisclosure agreement on a fired worker alleging racial discrimination.
The agreement prevents Tezlyn Figaro from speaking publicly about her allegations against the group founded by the Vermont senator, The Associated Press reported Friday.
It’s unclear what role the Democratic presidential frontrunner may have had in the NDA, but it could damage him politically, particularly among African-Americans in South Carolina who vote Saturday in the fourth state contest.
Mike Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, has faced similar damage as the result of NDAs his company reached with at least three women who alleged inappropriate workplace remarks from Bloomberg. The company said last week it would release the women from their hush agreements if they wanted to speak publicly.
Spokespeople for Sanders’ campaign and for Our Revolution, founded as an outgrowth of Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
Figaro claimed in a lawsuit last year that she was fired from Our Revolution in “retaliation for complaining about the organization’s treatment towards her and African-Americans.”
In a statement to the AP, Sanders campaign spokeswoman Sarah Ford stressed that the entities are legally separate and that from the campaign’s perspective, “We oppose using NDAs to silence the victims of toxic workplace issues.”
The Our Revolution NDA, acknowledged to the AP by Figaro, could hobble Sanders’ progress with black voters, who sapped his campaign by preferring Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race. This cycle, Sanders won the popular vote in the first three Democratic primary contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, but he’s trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in South Carolina polls.
If Sanders were to pull off an upset win in South Carolina, it would give him momentum going into the 14-state Super Tuesday next week. The senators’ vow to carry out a socialist political “revolution” has establishment Democrats fearing a reelection landslide.