GOP Congressman Under Investigation For Sex Harassment By Ethics Committee

0
1260

The House Ethics Committee has announced an investigation of Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), who former lobbyist Nicolette Davis recently said sexually harassed her in 2017. In the original incident, Reed unfastened Davis’s bra through her clothes and groped her, and someone else who was present in the restaurant where the incident unfolded escorted Reed out of the premises after Davis asked for assistance. After an initial denial, Reed said that he took responsibility for what happened and said that he entered treatment for alcoholism in 2017.

Now, a new joint statement from House Ethics Committee Chairman Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and the panel’s Ranking Member Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) reads, in part, as follows:

‘The Committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Tom Reed may have engaged in sexual misconduct, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct. The Committee… has begun an investigation and will gather additional information regarding the allegations.’

The House Ethics Committee has also announced a new investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who has been under federal investigation over issues including possible child sex trafficking and recently retained the services of two criminal defense attorneys. Check out the Ethics Committee announcements by clicking on the post below:

Davis shared her story as she approached graduation from field artillery school in the U.S. Army, where she was slated to become a platoon leader following a career change after her work as a lobbyist. Davis told The Washington Post that she hoped that her decision to reveal her experiences could help “set the right example.” As she put it at the time:

‘I need to always act in good conscience and set the right example for the soldiers I will lead, including younger females. I hope it will allow people who have endured similar experiences to feel confident enough to say something.’

Besides stating that he took responsibility for what happened, Reed also said that he would not be running for re-election to the House or election to any other position in 2022, although he cited a previous pledge that he made to eventually leave the House after a certain length of time in office. Reed had previously been talking about potentially running to unseat New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo. The last time that New York had a Republican governor was in 2006, when George Pataki left office.