House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Is Now Calling For An Ethics Investigation Into Democratic Congressman Tony Cardenas Of California; Several Cheerleaders For Washington's NFL Team Say A 2013 Trip To Costa Rica Crossed The Line.
CABRERA: House minority leader Nancy Pelosi is now calling for an ethics investigation into Democratic congressman Tony Cardenas of California. Cardenas recently reveal, he is the subject of a civil suit alleging he sexually assaulted a 16 -year-old girl in 2007. It's an accusation he vehemently denies. Now, Pelosi says she is withholding judgment until the ethics investigation is complete. CNN's Maeve Reston is joining us now from L.A. Maeve, what else can you tell us about this case and the allegation itself?</s>MAEVE RESTON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, this landed about a week ago as a lawsuit that was filed by Lisa Bloom, a very well-known L.A. lawyer, charging that an unnamed politician had basically sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl after playing a round of golf with her back in 2007. The victim alleges that this politician handed her a cup of water with a funny taste. She collapsed on the golf course, and then that he drove her to the hospital and sexually assaulted her on the way to the emergency room. So, incredibly serious allegations here. The identifying details in the lawsuit led everyone to the congressman. And he came out on Thursday vehemently denying the allegations, saying that they are categorically false and that he's going to fight them and that he's asking other Democrats to withhold judgment, you know, as this case works its way through the courts. But that's obviously going to be very difficult for him to both run for reelection at the same time that he is fighting these incredibly serious charges. This young woman, who came forward and she's obviously not being named, said that she was inspired by the Me Too movement and wanted to speak her truth, Ana.</s>CABRERA: So, talk to us more about the potential risks if he stays on to fight these allegations.</s>RESTON: Well, as you saw with Nancy Pelosi's statement today, Democrats are taking a very cautious approach. And that's partly because, you know, he is denying the allegations and because he is saying that he is possibly, you know, the victim here of allegations by the father who is a disgruntled former employee. But obviously, this is a huge year for Democrats as you have talked about a lot. They are trying to take control of the House. He is in a very safe seat in the San Fernando Valley for Democrats but if you're fighting these kinds of allegations at the same time that you're running for reelection, there is a very real possibility here that Democrats could lose that seat. And of course that, you know, potentially has a huge domino effect. So, there are some of his fellow candidates, his rivals, who are calling on him to step down. So we will see how this plays out over the next few months. Ballots drop on Monday, absentee ballots, so his name is going to be on the ballot no matter what.</s>CABRERA: All right. Maeve Reston reporting in Los Angeles. Thank you for that.</s>RESTON: Thank you.</s>CABRERA: Now imagine being sent to a foreign country by your boss and then having your passport taken away. That's exactly what members of the 2013 Washington redskins cheer leading squad say happened to them, along with other things that they say went well beyond their job description. They say a photo shoot went too far and that some were told to serve as escorts at an evening event for sponsors. CNN's Dianne Gallagher explains.</s>DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Several cheerleaders for Washington's NFL team say a 2013 trip to Costa Rica crossed the line. In the interviews with "the New York Times," the women say that upon arrival, the team collected their passports before requiring them to take part in a racy photo shoot where some of them were topless for a team calendar. All of this while high-profile sponsors and FedEx field suite owners looked on.</s>JULIET MACUR, REPORTER, NEW YORK TIMES: Shooting the calendar in these little tiny outfits is really the issue. It's that it's giving access to sponsors who are men who are seemingly paying for this privilege to watch women pose with hardly any clothes on. The issue is giving access to sponsors and making the women feel uncomfortable.</s>GALLAGHER: The cheerleaders claim that some of them were picked to be quote "personal escorts" for the sponsors at a Costa Rican nightclub later that night. And while sex was not involved, the women told the "Times" they felt quote "worthless and unprotected." And were so devastated by the situation that they did not return to the squad the next season. The cheer team's director says that the night at the club was not mandatory. And the Washington team issued a statement saying that it's looking into and taking the allegations seriously, but quote "based on the dialogue we have had with a number of current and former cheerleaders over the past 48 hours, we have heard very different firsthand accounts that directly contradict many of the details of the May 2nd article." That's something two former Washington cheerleaders picked by the team to appear on NBC's today show Friday echoed.</s>CHARO BISHOP. FORMER REDSKINS CHEERLEADER: Some girls were excited to do those things. In terms of being an escort, that was never a perception that I had. I think that being friendly and receptive and welcoming to sponsors is completely different.</s>RACHEL GILL, FORMER REDSKINS CHEERLEADER: We always have the option to say no. We are never forced or told to do something we don't want to do.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just treated the --</s>GALLAGHER: A former Carolina Panthers cheerleader says that in her experience, it wasn't that simple.</s>BRITTNEY CASON, FORMER NFL CHEERLEADER: Manipulation is a strong word, but it's what happens.</s>GALLAGHER: Brittney Cason says that the NFL cheer leading environment can be toxic with low pay and high standards and that the women often feel powerless to say no.</s>CASON: So if you're put in a situation where you feel uncomfortable, they quickly remind you that there's hundreds of other girls that would kill to trade for your spot right then and there, and so you just kind of go along with it, fearing that you could be kicked off the team.</s>GALLAGHER: Recent lawsuits from cheerleaders on other teams around the NFL have described discrimination, unfair wages, and sexual harassment. The NFL released a statement Friday saying, our office will work with our clubs in sharing best practices in employment- related processes that will support club cheer leading squads within an appropriate and supportive workplace. Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Atlanta.</s>CABRERA: Coming up in the NEWSROOM, a federal judge in the Paul Manafort case slams the Mueller probe, suggesting their only goal is to take down Trump. Is it a setback for the special counsel? We will discuss.