House Ethics Committee Drops Republican Over Taxpayer-Funded Harassment Settlement

Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) leaves a meeting on June 21, 2017. (Photo: Tom Williams via Getty Images)
Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) leaves a meeting on June 21, 2017. (Photo: Tom Williams via Getty Images)

A Republican tasked with fighting against sexual harassment in Congress secretly settled a misconduct complaint filed against him by a former aide, The New York Times first reported Saturday.

According to the report, Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.), a member of the House Ethics Committee and married father of three, expressed interest in the personal life of a female aide who was decades younger than him. Meehan eventually attempted to pursue a romantic relationship with the aide and became hostile when she rejected his advances, the Times said.

The advances reportedly made the aide, who remains anonymous, so uncomfortable that she filed a complaint against Meehan, began working from home and, eventually, quit.

Meehan was booted from the House Ethics Committee on Saturday, hours after the Times story was published. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) announced Meehan’s ouster in a statement to HuffPost.

In its story, the Times spoke with 10 people who either worked in Meehan’s office or were friends with the aide at the time the alleged harassment took place.

After the aide left her post in Meehan’s office, Meehan reportedly paid her an undisclosed amount from his congressional office fund, which includes taxpayer money, as part of a confidential agreement.

Meehan denies the former aide’s allegations, his spokesman John Elizandro told HuffPost in an email, adding that he “has always treated his colleagues, male and female, with the utmost respect and professionalism.”

Elizandro said the former employee was represented by counsel and “made certain assertions of inappropriate behavior which were investigated.”

He also insisted that Meehan “would only act with advice of House Counsel and consistent with House Ethics Committee guidance,” and that he had handled the process “ethically and appropriately.”

Meehan requested that the congressional lawyers involved in the case release both parties from the confidentiality agreement “to ensure a full and open airing of all the facts,” Elizandro said.

According to the former colleagues of the employee, Meehan expressed so much interest in her while she worked in his office that others viewed it as unprofessional. He then appeared to become jealous when she entered a serious relationship last year, the Times reported.

Meehan reportedly told the woman of his romantic feelings in person and later in a handwritten letter. The aide filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment after she said Meehan became hostile toward her.

The former aide told the Times that those tasked with handling the complaint, including two representatives for Meehan and two lawyers for the Office of House Employment Counsel, suggested she had misinterpreted Meehan’s behavior, leaving her feeling demoralized.

Meehan and his former aide eventually reached a settlement and nondisclosure agreement after mandatory counseling and mediation sessions, according to the Times.

Over the past few months, the House Ethics Committee has been investigating several members of congress who are facing sexual harassment allegations or who have reached settlements with their accusers. In December, the committee opened investigations into sexual harassment claims made against Reps. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) and Ruben Kihuen (D-Nev.).

In light of those investigations, both Farenthold (who reportedly used $84,000 in taxpayer money to settle his claim) and Kihuen announced they would not be running for re-election; Franks resigned from Congress.

Lawmakers in the House have issued more than $100,000 in taxpayer-funded settlements for sexual harassment claims made between 2008 to 2012, HuffPost reported in December.

House and Senate legislators have since introduced proposals to ban the use of taxpayer-funded settlements.

After speaking with Meehan on Saturday, Ryan said Meehan was submitting himself to the Ethics Committee for review, Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in a statement to HuffPost.

Ryan also urged Meehan to repay the funds he used in his settlement.

“The new reforms going into place bar the use of taxpayer money to pay settlements, and so the speaker has also told Mr. Meehan that he should repay whatever taxpayer funds were used to settle this case,” Strong said on Ryan’s behalf.

Also on HuffPost

Gretchen Carlson

<strong>Her account: </strong>In a lawsuit <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gretchen-carlson-harassment-lawsuit_us_577d22c1e4b09b4c43c1c624">filed in July 2016</a>, Carlson accused Ailes of sexual harassment and sexism. When Carlson attempted to address the discriminatory treatment in September 2015, Ailes allegedly told her:&nbsp;&ldquo;I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you&rsquo;d be good and better and I&rsquo;d be good and better." Carlson&nbsp;claimed that Ailes fired her in June 2016 for rebuffing his sexual advances and challenging a sexist newsroom culture.&nbsp;<br /><br /><strong>Ailes' response:</strong>&nbsp;The same day Carlson filed her lawsuit, Ailes released the below statement:&nbsp;<br /><br />"Gretchen Carlson&rsquo;s allegations are false. This is a retaliatory suit for the network&rsquo;s decision not to renew her contract, which was due to the fact that her disappointingly low ratings were dragging down the afternoon lineup. When Fox News did not commence any negotiations to renew her contract, Ms. Carlson became aware that her career with the network was likely over and conveniently began to pursue a lawsuit.&nbsp;Ironically, Fox News provided her with more on-air opportunities over her 11 year tenure than any other employer in the industry, for which she thanked me in her recent book. This defamatory lawsuit is not only offensive, it is wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br /><br /><strong>When we found out:&nbsp;</strong>July 6, 2016<br /><br /><strong>When she says it happened:&nbsp;</strong>2005 - 2016

Marsha Callahan

<strong>Her account</strong>: When Callahan (left) was starting out as an aspiring model in the 1960s, Ailes <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/07/six-more-women-allege-ailes-sexual-harassment.html">allegedly told</a> her that he could advance her career if she slept with him, <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/07/six-more-women-allege-ailes-sexual-harassment.html" target="_blank">New York Magazine reported</a> on July 9, 2016. During this time, Ailes was a producer on "The Mike Douglas Show&rdquo; and allegedly asked Callahan to wear a garter belt and stockings and lift up her skirt for him.<br /><br /><strong>Ailes&rsquo; response</strong>: Although Ailes did not publicly comment on Boyle&rsquo;s accusation, his lawyer Barry Asen released a&nbsp;statement. Asen blamed Carlson's initial accusations for these new allegations: &ldquo;It has become obvious that Ms. Carlson and her lawyer are desperately attempting to litigate this in the press because they have no legal case to argue. The latest allegations, all 30 to 50 years old, are false.&rdquo;<br /><br /><strong>When we found out: </strong>July 9, 2016<br /><strong><br />When she says it happened:&nbsp;</strong>1967 or 1968

Megyn Kelly

<strong>Her account: </strong>Directly after Carlson&rsquo;s accusations came to light, <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/14/fox-colleagues-mad-that-megyn-kelly-isn-t-speaking-up-for-roger-ailes">Kelly allegedly told 21st Century Fox</a> investigators that Ailes made unwanted sexual advances when she was just starting out as a correspondent for Fox 10 years prior. In her recent memoir, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/megyn-kelly-roger-ailes-harassment_us_581b4fa2e4b08f9841adb05e">Kelly wrote</a> that Ailes made inappropriate advances, commenting on her &ldquo;very sexy bras&rdquo; and &ldquo;how he&rsquo;d like to see [her] in them.&rdquo; He also tried to grab and kiss her, and later threatened to fire her if she did not comply. <br /><br /><strong>Ailes' response: </strong>&ldquo;I categorically deny the allegations Megyn Kelly makes about me. I worked tirelessly to promote and advance her career, as Megyn herself admitted to Charlie Rose. Watch that interview and then decide for yourself,&rdquo; Ailes said in a <a href="http://people.com/tv/roger-ailes-denies-megyn-kelly-sexual-harassment-allegations-statement/">statement to People Magazine</a> on November 15, 2016. &ldquo;My attorneys have restricted me from commenting further -- so suffice it to say that no good deed goes unpunished.&rdquo;<br /><br /><strong>When we found out: </strong>Initial accusations on July 19, 2016; details from her book on November 3, 2016<br /><br /><strong>When she says it happened: </strong>2005 - 2006

Rudi Bakhtiar

<strong>Her account</strong>: The former Fox News correspondent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/business/at-fox-news-kisses-innuendo-propositions-and-fears-of-reprisal.html">told The New York Times</a> she was fired for complaining about sexual harassment from then-Fox News Washington bureau chief Brian Wilson. Similar to other accusations, Bakhtiar said Ailes also behaved inappropriately, asking her to stand during a job interview so he could see her legs and sending her miniskirts to wear at work. <br /><br /><strong>Ailes&rsquo; response</strong>: None from Ailes, Fox News or parent company 21st Century Fox. <br /><br /><strong>When we found out: </strong>July 23, 2016<br /><br /><strong>When she says it happened: </strong>2007

Laurie Luhn

<strong>Her account:</strong> Luhn, the former director of booking at Fox News, said that Ailes sexually harassed and blackmailed her into performing sexual acts for more than 20 years. &ldquo;It was psychological torture,&rdquo; she told<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/07/fmr-fox-booker-harassed-by-ailes-for-20-years.html">&nbsp;New York Magazine</a>&nbsp;on July 29, 2016. Luhn was among the few women who said she had given in to Ailes' demands, knowing he could help her career.<br /><br /><strong>Ailes&rsquo; response: </strong>&ldquo;Ms. Luhn is someone I once regarded as a friend and a person who I helped for many years,&rdquo; Ailes wrote in a statement to <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/laurie-luhn-roger-ailes-sexually-harassed-20-years/story?id=43619335">ABC News</a> in November 18, 2016. &ldquo;The stories she is telling now are fabrications built on half-truths and outright lies, and I can only assume are opportunistically intended to thrust her back into the limelight at my expense.&rdquo;<br /><strong><br />When we found out:&nbsp;</strong>July 29, 2016<br /><br /><strong>When she says it happened:</strong> 1996 - 2016

Laurie Dhue

<strong>Her account:</strong> Dhue, who worked as a Fox News anchor from 2000 to 2008, <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fox-news-boss-roger-ailes-asked-laurie-dhue-wore-underwear-article-1.2735950">said</a> that Ailes asked if she was wearing underwear while she was jumping with his then 6-year-old son at a barbecue in New Jersey. &ldquo;Are you wearing any panties? I wish you weren&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Ailes <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/07/can-the-murdochs-contain-the-ailes-damage.html">allegedly asked</a> Dhue. &nbsp;<br /><br /><strong>Ailes&rsquo; response</strong>: No public response.<br /><strong><br />When we found out:&nbsp;</strong>August 2, 2016<br /><strong><br />When she says it happened:&nbsp;</strong>Sometime during her tenure at Fox News between 2000 and 2008.

Andrea Tantaros

<strong>Her account:</strong> In a lawsuit <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andrea-tantaros-fox-news-lawsuit_us_57bc6919e4b0b51733a5d614">filed August 2016</a>, former Fox News host Tantaros claimed that Ailes is a &ldquo;sexual predator&rdquo; who made inappropriate sexual comments about her body and requested she hug him and twirl for him in his office. In the lawsuit, Tantaros named other Fox News male colleagues who sexually harassed her, including Bill O&rsquo;Reilly. She called Fox News a &ldquo;sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency and misogyny.&rdquo; After Tantaros complained about Ailes and Fox News&rsquo; misogynistic culture, she said she was demoted and taken off the air. <br /><br /><strong>Ailes&rsquo; response</strong>: While Ailes did not publicly comment on the accusations, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fox-news-tantaros-ailes_us_57c4bf6ee4b0cdfc5ac8ec8d">Fox News&rsquo; lawyers</a> called Tantaros an &ldquo;opportunist&rdquo; and said her lawsuit &ldquo;bears all the hallmarks of the &lsquo;wannabe.&rsquo;&rdquo; <br /><strong><br />When we found out:&nbsp;</strong>August 8, 2016<br /><br /><strong>When she says it happened: </strong>2014 - 2016

Shelley Ross

<strong>Her account: </strong>In an essay for <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/08/roger-ailes-sexually-harassed-me-i-thought-i-was-the-first-and-last" target="_blank">The Daily Beast i</a>n August 2016, Ross details the sexual harassment she experienced on &ldquo;The Tomorrow Show&rdquo; from Roger Ailes. Ross wrote that Ailes proposed a &ldquo;sexual alliance&rdquo; while she worked on the show. <br /><br /><strong>Ailes&rsquo; response</strong>: None.<br /><br /><strong>When we found out: </strong>August 8, 2016<br /><br /><strong>When she says it happened: </strong>1981

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.