Phillips lashes at DesJarlais

Mariah Phillips, a Democratic candidate seeking to unseat Republican Scott DesJarlais in Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District, slammed his support for U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan.

In a news release, Phillips said Jordan “has been accused of ignoring sexual abuse accusations during his time as a coach at Ohio State.” Jordan and DesJarlais are members of the House Freedom Caucus, which this week introduced articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Phillips said Jordan and DesJarlais “represent everything wrong with Washington today.”

“Jim Jordan has for years led an extremist group of lawmakers who have created much of the partisan gridlock in Washington. They have shut down our government and prevented bipartisan compromise on issues from fixing our immigration system to providing better health care,” Phillips said in the release.

She also condemned “an alarming culture among many elected officials in Washington that tolerates sexual harassment and abuse” and made reference to DesJarlais’ own history of “inappropriate behavior and abuse” before he was elected to Congress.

DesJarlais, a physician, has admitted to affairs with former patients and co-workers, and his ex-wife accused him of harassment, intimidation and physical abuse in the midst of a bitter divorce.