The #MeToo campaign against workplace sexual harassment has snared eight Capitol Hill lawmakers and nearly sank the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice in the two years since the movement flourished, tarnishing the reputations of Democrats and Republicans alike.
The lawmakers who were disgraced or run out of office consisted of five Democrats and three Republicans in the short time since #MeToo caught fire in October 2017 with an expose that toppled Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“This is not as much of a political problem as it is a sinful nature of mankind problem, and unfortunately this behavior isn’t limited to one party or the other, but I do expect people of my ilk to demand justice,” said Penny Nance, president of Concerned Women for America.
Seeing trouble among their ranks, House Democrats spearheaded changes to legislation protecting their staff on Capitol Hill.
Congress unanimously approved new rules last December to tamp down on sexual harassment on Capitol Hill. Under the changes, investigations are to be sped up and lawmakers must reimburse the government for any harassment settlements or court awards paid out because of their actions. They also provide for annual reports on settlements.
The rules are binding on the House and the Senate.
Former Rep. Katie Hill, California Democrat, had championed women’s issues, including protesting Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s nomination, who was accused of sexual misconduct dating back more than three decades. Investigations by lawmakers and the FBI failed to substantiate the allegations.
Eventually, Ms. Hill ended up getting tarnished herself by the #MeToo movement. She faced allegations of an affair with members of her staff, including engaging in a threesome with a female campaign employee and her ex-husband.
The lawmaker’s fall was covered for weeks in the media, including the publishing of nude photos that allegedly were released by her former spouse.
“Accusations against Democratic Rep. Katie Hill — constituting a threesome endeavor — on the flamboyance measure tend to not make one think of Republicans,” said Richard Vatz, a rhetoric and communication professor at Towson University. “Accusations against Brett Kavanaugh, even if true, involve no behavior past his high school youth, which period has been marked for decades as revealing abstemious behavior toward women.”
In her first interview since leaving office, Ms. Hill told Playboy she hasn’t ruled out running for office again.
“Every single bit of my dirty laundry will be out there — the most private things I didn’t ever think would come out. I’ll be quite literally fully exposed to the voters. So judge me for what I’ve got,” she said.
The late Rep. John Conyers, Michigan Democrat, was another notable lawmaker with more than five decades in Congress who was swept out of office with the #MeToo movement in 2017 when he faced a House Ethics Committee investigation after several former staffers accused him of sexual harassment.
Around the same time Mr. Conyers resigned, Sen. Al Franken, Minnesota Democrat, was accused of having touched women inappropriately and kissed them, leading to his resignation in early 2018.
And Rep. Ruben Kihuen, Nevada* Democrat, decided not to seek reelection in late 2017 after facing a nine-month probe of whether he harassed women. Additionally, Rep. Bobby Scott, Virginia Democrat, denied ever having harassed one of his staffers back in 2013 after the accusation surfaced. He remains in office.
Republicans got caught up in the #MeToo wave, too.
Former Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona resigned in late 2017 after it was revealed he had offered a female employee millions of dollars to serve as a surrogate.
Former Rep. Blake Farenthold, Texas Republican, resigned in 2018 after it was revealed he had used $84,000 from the Treasury fund to settle a lawsuit brought by his female communications director in 2014.
Rep. Patrick Meehan, Pennsylvania Republican, was forced into retirement last year after a House Ethics Committee probe revealed he had used taxpayer funds to settle a sexual misconduct lawsuit brought by one of his aides.
Mr. Vatz said there is no significant difference between the number of Republicans and Democrats caught up in the #MeToo campaign, but he said Democrats could be more angered when colleagues in their party face sexual misconduct accusations since they purport to be the party defending women’s issues.
“There is possibly some resentment of Democrats by Democrats that they are betraying women, in that Democrats portray themselves as more sympathetic and empathetic to females,” Mr. Vatz said.
While all of these politicians were outed for their conduct, taxpayers also learned that hundreds of thousands of dollars had been used to settle sexual harassment and other workplace misconduct claims against Congress members over the past two decades.
The details about which lawmakers have reached into the fund were not made public, only the amount of each claim.
Concerned Women for America’s Ms. Nance said the names should be made public. She faulted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, for not disclosing the identities of the members who have had to settle these accusations with taxpayer funds.
“I’m still very disappointed that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have been willing to disclose the members of Congress for whom the American taxpayer was forced to foot the bill for their illicit behavior,” she said. “Neither party — when the Republicans were in charge, they wouldn’t do that — and now with Nancy Pelosi in charge, she refused.”
(* Correction: Rep. Ruben Kihuen’s state was listed incorrectly in a previous version of the story. He is a Nevada Democrat.)
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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