After Defending Lauer, Geraldo Rivera's Assault of Bette Midler Exposed

Trump apologist Rivera defends the disgraced Today host on Twitter. Well, birds of a feather...

Nbroverman

Many in the media and entertainment industries felt a sense of karma -- or at least, little surprise -- when Today host Matt Lauer was fired on Wednesday for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace. Even though NBC officials claimed a woman's complaint this week was the first they heard about Lauer using his power to pressure female colleagues to have sex with him, related rumors have followed him for years (as well as clips of his predatory behavior).

Lauer found few defenders after his termination made headlines, well except for Trump supporter/former trash TV host Geraldo Rivera.

\u201cSad about @MLauer great guy, highly skilled & empathetic w guests & a real gentleman to my family & me. News is a flirty business & it seems like current epidemic of #SexHarassmentAllegations may be criminalizing courtship & conflating it w predation. What about #GarrisonKeillor?\u201d
— Geraldo Rivera (@Geraldo Rivera) 1511989221

It got worse.

\u201c#SexHarassment allegations should require: 1-made in a timely fashion-say w/n 5 yrs. 2-some contemporaneous corroboration, like witnesses, electronic or written communications. W $ settlements in multi-millions slight chance exists some victims are motivated by more than justice\u201d
— Geraldo Rivera (@Geraldo Rivera) 1511990339

And worse.

\u201cThis issue is so red hot right now there is no room for any thought or opinion but hang em high. If News wasn\u2019t (formerly) a flirty biz then how do we explain so many newsroom courtships that have led to happy marriages?\u201d
— Geraldo Rivera (@Geraldo Rivera) 1511994481

Rivera eventually apologized for his defense of harassment, but not before someone dug up this clip of Bette Midler telling Barbara Walters in 1991 that Rivera shoved her into a bathroom, stuck poppers under her nose, and groped her -- a clip that Midler would later tweet out from her own account.

\u201cTomorrow is my birthday. I feel like this video was a gift from the universe to me. Geraldo may have apologized for his tweets supporting Matt Lauer, but he has yet to apologize for this. #MeToo\u201d
— bettemidler (@bettemidler) 1512065503

Rivera has previously admitted to as much. He wrote this in his 1991 memoir, "We were in the bathroom, preparing for the interview, and at some point I put my hands on her breasts."