Panel insists ex-lawmaker uphold pledge
Ethics investigation urges congressman to repay settlement
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee on Thursday called for former U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold to honor his pledge to repay an $84,000 taxpayer settlement he used to end a sexual harassment case.
The bipartisan committee, in a unanimous statement, said that while it no longer has jurisdiction over the Corpus Christi Republican, it encouraged him “in the strongest possible terms” to make good on his promise to pay back the settlement stemming from a 2015 sexual harassment case brought by Lauren Greene, a former staffer in his Washington office. Farenthold, who abruptly resigned from Congress a week ago, was not immediately available for comment Thursday. His former chief of staff, Bob Haueter, referred inquiries to the Clerk of the House, which did not respond for comment.
The Ethics statement, released by Ethics Chairwoman Susan Brooks, R-Ind., and ranking member Ted Deutch, R-Fla, noted that Farenthold “publicly promised to reimburse the U.S. Treasury for $84,000 in funds paid to settle the lawsuit brought against him for claims of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation.”
They added: “We encourage him in the strongest possible terms to uphold that promise.”
A spokeswoman for Farenthold told the Chronicle last month that despite his earlier vows to repay the settlement, he was waiting to “on advice of counsel,” to see what action Congress would take on pending legislation to reform the way lawmakers offices handle sexual harassment cases.
Farenthold, under an ethics cloud since the 2015 sexual harassment case, announced in December that he would not run for reelection, but vowed to repay taxpayers and serve out the remainder of his term.
But with the Ethic Committee moving forward this month on the allegations brought by Greene and several other former staffers in his office, Farenthold announced his immediate resignation last Friday, saying “I know in my heart it’s time for me to move along and look for new ways to serve.”
Greene’s allegations were originally investigated by the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, which recommended that the Ethics Committee dismiss the case. However the ethics panel, citing the “seriousness of the allegations,” kept the case open.
The investigation expanded in December after several other staffers went public with complaints about the atmosphere in the office, which Farenthold acknowledged had been unprofessional.
The new allegations against Farenthold came amid a series of accusations of sexual impropriety against prominent figures in business, the media, and politics.
In announcing that it was dropping Farenthold’s case, the Ethics Committee statement said “sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace are serious matters and such conduct should have no place in the halls of Congress.”