• 20
  • January
    2012

Following a woman's allegations that a Congressman sexually harassed her, top members from the House Ethics Committee pane said the case required further review. Another staff member the congressman serves with leveled the accusations against the 75-year-old Congressman in 2011.

Sexual harassment cases can involve a variety of elements. Sadly, this one involved unwanted physical contact.

The victim is listed as a policy advisor on political-military security issues on the agency's website. When the victim was hired in 2007, her first meeting with the handshake began with a simple handshake. She later reported to the ethics committee that she received unwanted hugs from the congressman and heard sexually suggestive comments from him.

On Jan. 4, a joint statement was released by the House Ethics Committee Chairman and the panel's ranking Democrat stating that a review of the allegations would be completed once all the necessary information had been gathered. That same day, the committee released an Office of Congressional Ethics investigative report.

Several of the victim's allegations against the congressman were detailed in the report. The victim reported to the ethics investigators that the congressman made several unwelcome sexual advances toward her on multiple instances. According to the woman's allegations, these events led to an incident in Portugal where the congressman ranted about his interest in her.

The report further states he asked the woman to accompany him to his room while he was drunk. She denied his request. He then asked for her room number, which she also denied to give him.

Source: Reuters, "Report details harassment claim against Congressman Hastings," Alex Dobuzinskis, Jan. 11, 2012