Matt Lauer's response to rape allegation makes him out to be the real victim -- and his accuser the perpetrator

Jezebel

In his lengthy attempt at defense in response to former NBC News staffer Brooke Nevils' accusation of rape, "Lauer predictably assails his accuser’s character while casting himself as patriarchal protector, besieged family man, and loving but imperfect dad," says Tracy Clark-Flory. "He begins his letter by explaining why he has not, until now, 'more vigorously' defended himself. Lauer writes, 'I wanted nothing less than to create more headlines my kids would read and a new gathering of photographers at the end of our driveway.' This, says Lauer, is why he decided to stay quiet 'and work on repairing my relationship with the people I love,' which he describes as 'the most important full-time job I have ever had.' But now, following the revelations in (Ronan) Farrow’s book, Lauer writes that 'after not speaking out to protect my children, it is now with their full support I say ‘enough.’ Enough, says Dad. Enough. Now, Lauer writes, he must defend his family—from the headlines, the photographers, and the woman accusing him of rape. This act of 'defense' looks more like an offense: Defending his family means turning victim into perpetrator. Lauer’s family is what gives him permission. Immediately, Lauer’s letter implies nefarious intent on Nevils’ part, writing that her story 'is filled with false details intended only to create the impression this was an abusive encounter.' ... He proceeds to portray her as the spurned lover, the rejected woman—favorite tropes of MeToo critics—seeming to imply that her accusations were triggered after he suddenly cut off the 'affair.' ... With the dirty work of villainizing his accuser done, Lauer returns to painting a portrait of himself as the flawed but loving patriarch."

ALSO:

• Brooke Nevils calls Matt Lauer's letter "a case study in victim shaming": “There’s a Matt Lauer that millions of Americans watched on TV every morning for two decades," Nevils said in a statement released Wednesday night to NBC News. "And there is the Matt Lauer who this morning attempted to bully a former colleague into silence. His open letter was a case study in victim blaming. I am not afraid of him now regardless of his threats, bullying, and the shaming and predatory tactics I knew he would and now has tried to use against me."
• Lauer's letter showed a typical tactic among abusers: "By implying there were mixed signals and accusing (Brooke) Nevils of lying, Lauer is turning the conversation into a he said, she said debate about sex, rather than a conversation over what rape is really about: power," says Kate Gardner. "This behavior is not new, but it is deeply upsetting."
• Ronan Farrow's book Catch and Kill alleges that NBC News chairman Andy Lack has a history of "preying" on female underlings
• Farrow's book exposes the rot at NBC News
• It's "virtually impossible" that Lauer will be prosecuted for rape
• Farrow's book alleges NBC hired a "Wikipedia Whitewasher" to downplay connections to Lauer and Harvey Weinstein