Sexual assault allegation against Inouye
During the campaign, Lenore Kwock, Inouye's hairdresser, accused him of sexually assaulting her in 1975. [1] [2] She had not originally intended to make the accusation publicly, but was tricked into doing so by an operative from Reed's campaign, who secretly recorded her speaking about the incident after posing as a prospective aide for Inouye. [1] Kwock threatened to sue once audio from this conversation was put in one of Reed's campaign ads without her permission. [1] She then went public with the allegation on her own terms, and took and passed a polygraph test, while Inouye refused to take one. [3]
Inouye denied the accusation, but an opinion poll showed that more than twice as many Hawaii voters believed Kwock over him. [1] State Representative Annelle Amaral said that she was privately contacted by nine other women who accused Inouye of sexual misconduct, but none wanted to speak publicly. [4] Inouye faced no real backlash from the accusation: his vast influence over Hawaii's political establishment meant that "cowardice" and "lack of opportunity" shielded him, according to a political scientist at the University of Hawaii. [1] After Amaral publicly supported Kwock, she was removed from her position on the judiciary committee and lost re-election. [3] Further allegations against Inouye were reported after his death. [4]
