A U.S. attorney violated sexual harassment laws and regulations by engaging in a yearlong “intimate personal relationship” with a subordinate and later lying to Justice Department investigators who opened a probe of the matter, according to a watchdog report released Tuesday.
An investigative summary released by the department’s Office of the Inspector General does not name the U.S. attorney involved, but news reports out of Oregon indicate that Amanda Marshall, former U.S. attorney for Oregon, was the subject of the probe.
The inspector general’s report indicate the inappropriate relationship involved a subordinate assistant U.S. attorney, and that after the relationship ended the subordinate was harassed.
KOIN-TV in Portland, Oregon, reported that Scott Kerin, the former head of narcotics in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, was the subordinate who went to the Justice Department after Ms. Marshall sent him a slew of “troubling” text messages and emails.
Ms. Marshall resigned from her post in May 2015, at the time citing health reasons and post-traumatic stress disorder as the reason for her departure, according to the Oregonian. The inspector general’s report indicates that the U.S. attorney involved resigned from the position during the course of the investigation.
An attorney for Ms. Marshall was unavailable to comment Tuesday afternoon.
The report also notes that as inspectors attempted to investigate the allegations of the inappropriate relationship, the U.S. attorney lied about the nature of the relationship, violated instructions given by an associate deputy attorney general not to have contact with the subordinate, and attempted to influence the investigation by telling the subordinate to get a lawyer and not to speak with investigators.
The inspector general’s report indicates that attorneys from an undisclosed office declined prosecution in the case. The report also indicates that the watchdog agency advised the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility about the findings for determination as to whether the case merits additional action, including the possibility of referral to appropriate bar authorities.
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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