Marianne Williamson accuses the report of allegedly abusive behavior during the 2020 campaign being a “hit piece”.

Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson claims a report that she berated campaign officials when she first ran for the White House four years ago is a “hit piece”.

Williamson, the best-selling author and spiritual advisor who earlier this month became the first Democrat with a national allegiance to challenge President Biden in 2024, accused in a Fox News interview that the report and recent apparent taunting of the candidate by White House Press Secretary , Karine Jean-Pierre, are moves by the democratic “establishment forces who don’t want me in the game”.

Williamson has had a highly successful career encouraging people to shine a spotlight on the power of love and the importance of forgiveness. But according to a report released Thursday, a dozen people who worked with Williamson on her 2020 presidential campaign say she “exposed her employees to unpredictable, explosive outbursts of anger.” They said Williamson could be cruel and demeaning to her staff and her behavior went well beyond the typical stress of a grueling presidential cycle.”

Williamson calls the allegations “defamatory” and “categorically false”.

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According to former campaign workers interviewed by PoliticoWilliamson’s outbursts included throwing phones at employees, and in one instance, the candidate reportedly became so angry with the logistics of a campaign trip that she banged on a car door until her hand swelled, forcing her to go to an emergency care facility.

Former two-year Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire, who served as Williamson’s state secretary in 2020 in the nation’s crucial presidential primary state, corroborated the report.

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“What Politico reported was entirely consistent with what I saw in the campaign and what I personally experienced with her on multiple occasions,” Hodes, quoted in the Politico report, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “There are several reasons why I’m not helping her this time. Your behavior is one reason.”

“It is important that we have a president with the right temperament,” stressed Hodes. “It’s really important to have a lead that stays calm under pressure. The presidency is a very stressful job… You really need leadership that can remain calm under pressure.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Williamson dismissed the report as an attempt to smear her presidential bid.

Williamson said that “ex-employees trying to score points with the political establishment by slandering me could be good for their careers, but the intent is to divert attention from the important issues facing the American people… This presidential campaign awaits a concerted effort to sack them and vilify us. But amplification of outright lies should not occur.”

Williamson also denied ever throwing a phone at employees, but admitted she went to the emergency room after getting upset and banging her hand on a car door, but said: “A car door is not a person. I would never physically harm anyone.”

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Hours later, she told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto: “If anyone has ever felt that I was disrespectful to those who worked for me, I’m sorry. But I also know this is a hit.”

“I think every time someone criticizes you, you have to ask yourself is any of it true? Are 10% of these true? If 10% of that is true, then I want to correct that in myself and in my behavior,” she added. “But that’s not the point here. Do I have to learn anything from any experience, including this one? Absolutely. But I think so too that people can see through the obvious game being played here by established forces who don’t want me in the game.”

When asked at a White House briefing last week if the president was upset about the launch of Williamson’s campaign, Jean-Pierre appeared to mock the candidate, saying: “I don’t follow it. I mean, if I were a – what would she call out? A little sphere here – a crystal ball, then I could tell you. A magic eight ball or whatever. If I could feel her aura.”

President Joe Biden speaks at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting Friday, February 3, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) (AP)

Opinion polls show Biden, who is yet to announce a 2024 re-election campaign, is miles ahead of Williamson. When asked in an interview with Fox News Digital last week if she felt the President and his team and the Democratic Party weren’t taking their campaign seriously, Williamson replied, “I think it’s pretty fair to say that they don’t take me seriously. But more important than that, they try to get you not to take me seriously. Which actually means they take me seriously on some level.

But Williamson accused: “That kind of mockery is purposeful. That’s what they did to me last time — made them look like a laughing stock so no one could possibly take the idea of ​​voting for them seriously. They know what they’re doing. It’s the talking point of the Democratic Party establishment at this point. But I hope people won’t just buy it like last time.

And on Thursday, she repeated her criticism, arguing in her interview with Fox News Channel: “That’s what they do. That’s what they do. Those are the hits they make. hit tracks are coming. Ridicule comes from the President’s press secretary. The women of The View. Those are the dirty tricks that mean you mess someone up. Someone is not happy that you are there. Someone feels threatened by the conversation you’re leading. So this is where politics happens.”

Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson campaigns in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on March 9, 2023. (Marianne Williamson campaign)

During the 2020 cycle, Williamson was an unconventional candidate who preached the politics of love. She emphasized “six pillars for a period of moral restoration,” including economic justice. She proposed creating a children and youth department and a peace department, and she urged compensation for the descendants of African-American slaves. Among her unorthodox acts was holding a meditation session during her campaign in New Hampshire.

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But Williamson struggled with fundraising and failed to qualify for most Democratic presidential debates. Days after laying off most of her small staff, she dropped out of the race in January 2020, just before the primaries and primaries for the nomination began.

“I have the right to run. That’s democracy,” Williamson told Fox News Digital last week. And she pointed to the Democrats and said, ‘How can a party claim to be champions of democracy when there is something about their initial process of suppressing that democracy? And making no mistake about it, mocking me, mocking me, slandering me is an attempt to stifle my voice.”