As the United States continues to grapple with national scandals surrounding the Trump administration, Illinois Republicans are facing a scandal of their own. On Wednesday, POLITICO revealed that GOP state Rep. Nick Sauer was allegedly under investigation for sharing adult photos of his girlfriend on an Instagram account to bait men into sexting with him. Now, the Chicago area Daily Herald has revealed that Sauer is resigning from the legislature.
State House Republican Leader Jim Durkin shared:
‘The allegations that have come forth against Rep. Nick Sauer are troubling. He will be resigning from office Wednesday. We should allow the proper authorities to conduct their investigations.’
Those authorities, according to reports, include the Illinois legislative inspector general’s office and the Chicago Police Department — although it’s unclear how far the former entity will take their investigation with Sauer out of office, since it exists to investigate crimes committed by members of the government. Under Illinois law, the nonconsensual sharing of private sexual images is a felony.
Sauer has not yet been charged with any crime in connection to his activities, although that remains a possibility. A Chicago police spokesperson confirmed that a 38-year-old woman had filed an “obscenity” report with the department on August 12 and that it remained under investigation. The spokesperson added that they were “unsure if investigators had spoken with any persons of interest,” according to the Daily Herald. POLITICO filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the original police report.
Sauer’s behavior, according to pieces of the story shared by POLITICO, stretched out over a period of at least two years, which goes back to the time when he first started dating his ex-girlfriend in question. During that time, he’s served on a task force in the Illinois government meant to combat sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination.
In the wake of the revelation of his actions, Sauer attracted criticism from interests as high up as Illinois Governor Bruce Rauer, who backed the lawmaker’s resignation.
He’s one of a number of political figures who have been outed as sexual harassers and/or assaulters in recent years. The “#MeToo” movement has rocked the United States and world, with women feeling newly empowered to share their stories of sexual harassment and assault. Recent individuals revealed as pervs include CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, who has so far gotten to remain in his position despite allegations of sexual assault from numerous women.
Democratic Illinois state Sen. Melinda Bush tied the Sauer scandal to the broader push for national accountability, commenting:
‘I applaud this woman for coming forward and telling her story. Women must have confidence that when they come forward with stories of abuse that the systems in place will hear them and believe them. Without accountability there can be no change.’
Relevant change includes the ousting of credibly accused sexual predator and current U.S. President Donald Trump come the 2020 U.S. elections — and in the meantime, curtailing his power through sending rounds of new Democrats to Congress in the midterm elections later this year.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
