I think it does matter who’s behind it, if it’s someone other than just a “journalist sniffing about for a good story “.
I agree the whole thing should have been dealt with better.
It’s sounding more & more like he has a habit of speaking to or around women in ways he doesn’t realize might offend or intimidate or give the wrong impression. Not that he means to do it, but his ‘plain speaking’ may mean he also has difficulty editing himself to meet the demands of this PC world.
That’s just my guess until I learn more.
This whole story is so depressing.