Congressman removed from ethics panel
Tasked with combating harassment, Meehan settled own misconduct case
WASHINGTON — Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., who has taken a leading role in fighting sexual harassment in Congress, used thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to settle his own misconduct complaint after a former aide accused him last year of making unwanted romantic overtures to her, according to several people familiar with the settlement.
A married father of three, Meehan, 62, had long expressed interest in the personal life of the aide, who was decades younger and had regarded the congressman as a father figure, according to three people who worked with the office and four others with whom she discussed her tenure there.
But after the woman became involved in a serious relationship with someone outside the office last year, Meehan professed his romantic desires for her — first in person, then in a handwritten letter — and he grew hostile when she did not reciprocate, the people familiar with her time in the office said. Pulled from committee
Life in the office became untenable, so she initiated the complaint process, started working from home and ultimately left the job. She later reached a confidential agreement with Meehan’s office that included a settlement for an undisclosed amount to be paid from Meehan’s congressional office fund.
On Saturday, John Elizandro, Meehan’s communications director, issued a statement saying that the congressman “denies these allegations” and “has always treated his colleagues, male and female, with the utmost respect and professionalism.”
Meehan called on the former aide to waive the confidentiality agreement in the settlement “to ensure a full and open airing of all the facts.” Elizandro did not respond to followup questions about why Meehan had agreed to the settlement and the confidentiality provision if the accusations were false.
Alexis Ronickher, a lawyer for the former aide, called Meehan’s statement “a desperate effort to preserve his career.” She said the congressman had demanded confidentiality in the first place and was now asking her client to waive it knowing that she would not agree because she “prizes her privacy above all else.”
After this article was published online, AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, said that Meehan was being removed immediately from the House Ethics Committee, where he has helped investigate sexual misconduct claims, and that the panel would investigate the allegations against him. In addition, Ryan told Meehan that he should repay the taxpayer funds, Strong said. Secretive processes
Sexual misconduct accusations against powerful men across a range of industries in recent months have prompted a national conversation about gender dynamics in the workplace and the inadequacy of support systems for victims. In Congress, several lawmakers have left office or announced their retirements in recent months over sexual harassment claims.
Still, Congress remains a workplace where victims say they have few effective avenues for recourse. Meehan’s case sheds new light on secretive congressional processes for handling such complaints, which advocates say are slanted to favor abusers — allowing them to use the vast resources of the federal government to intimidate, isolate and silence their victims.
As a member of the Ethics Committee, Meehan was tasked with being a part of the solution. The panel has initiated investigations into sexual misconduct claims against at least four congressmen in recent months. Two have resigned: Trent Franks, R-Ariz., and John Conyers Jr., D-Mich. The other two, Blake Farenthold, RTexas, and Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., remain in office but have said they will not seek re-election.
Meehan has been pushing for protections for domestic violence victims since his time as a local prosecutor.
In Congress, he has sponsored legislation mandating the reporting of sexual violence, and he is a member of a bipartisan congressional task force to end such violence.
This account is based on interviews with 10 people, including friends and former colleagues of the former aide and others who worked around the office. The New York Times is not naming the former aide, who followed the recommended procedures for reporting harassment but came away from the experience feeling traumatized, according to several people with whom she shared her feelings.