Wisconsin Gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn tells victims of sex assault to “jump in the lake.”
According to thousands of pages of internal church files made part of public record, Flynn was a major player in covering up child sex crimes for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Matt Flynn. Photo courtesy of Forward with Flynn.
While filing his nomination papers this morning, Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate, Matt Flynn, said that anyone who wants him to drop out of the race because of his actions while defending the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in one of the largest sexual abuse scandals in the United States should “jump in a lake.”
According to thousands of pages of internal church files made part of public record, Flynn was a major player in covering up child sex crimes for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
“To tell thousands of victims of child rape and sexual assault and citizens of Wisconsin who question his history with the Archdiocese that they can ‘jump in the lake’ shows you exactly how Flynn dealt with sex abuse victims and their families. These survivors are raising very important questions around why he concealed, left in the ministry, or transferred dozens of child molesters across Southeastern Wisconsin,” said founding member and former Midwest Director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Peter Isely.
“There are countless victims of sexual assault who have taken their lives in the wake of the repeated abuse and lack of justice given to them by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the group Matt Flynn worked to protect for fifteen years. To tell victims of the kind of assault he worked to conceal to ‘jump in the lake’ further demonstrates the cruelty and insensitivity of which many of these victims have accused Mr. Flynn. He is unqualified to serve as Governor of Wisconsin, and he should end his candidacy,” said Sarah Pearson, State Co-Chair of Women’s March Wisconsin.
“Flynn can ignore our questions, but he can’t ignore the public records. They clearly show he orchestrated payments to priests such as Arimond in order for them to quietly leave the ministry, protecting the Archdiocese from having attention drawn to the fact that sexual predators were allowed to thrive in its parishes. This is unconscionable behavior from anyone, let alone someone aiming to be the governor of the state of Wisconsin,” said Lindsay Lemmer, president of the Madison and Wisconsin chapters of the National Organization for Women.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Women’s March WI
2023 Women’s Convention Set to Take Place in Milwaukee to Bring Together Feminist Advocates in Preparation for 2024 Elections
Sep 26th, 2023 by Women’s March WIEvent Kicks Off 2024 Election Season with Abortion Rights, Democracy Front & Center in Fight to Shape the Future of the Country
Stop playing politics with sexual assault kit legislation
Jan 17th, 2020 by Women’s March WIWhether or not we protect survivors of sexual assault should not be a decision left to one person.
Women’s March Wisconsin Endorses Earnell Lucas for Milwaukee County Sheriff
Aug 6th, 2018 by Women’s March WIWe know that it is imperative that voters in Milwaukee County come out on August 14th to elect Earnell Lucas.
While I am not an expert on Matt Flynn’s record representing the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (although I know him a bit), I am concerned by what appears to be a Fox News style headline press release published in Urban Milwaukee: “Matt Flynn tells victims of sex assault to ‘jump in the lake.'”
The press release’s headline suggests Flynn was directing his comment to all victims of the offending priests. I see no evidence of that in the press release. A reasoned debate on Flynn’s role with the Archdiocese certainly seems in order, but all would be better served by a fact-based discussion rather than what might be interpreted as smear. In short, let a debate unfold that is inductive rather than deductive in character…