Kaine push for harass claims nixed

THE FEDERAL Office of Compliance was not very compliant Monday, turning down down a lawmaker’s request to provide the number of sexual harassment claims made against senators and the money spent on settlements.

The agency, which represents 30,000 legislative branch workers, told Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) the data would be a “invasive search of strictly confidential records” under the Congressional Accountability Act, according to a letter first published by Politico.

On Dec. 6, Kaine asked for numbers on claims lodged between 2007 and 2017 against senators and their staffs, and the number of settlements.

He also sought the amounts paid to settle claims.

Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate in the 2016 election, tweeted the decision was “Very disappointing.”

“If we truly want to fix the broken system on the Hill,” he continued, “we need to understand the scope of the problem.”

He made his request as Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and failed Senate candidate Roy Moore faced sexual misconduct claims.

“The challenges we face to resolve these widespread problems appears daunting, as each successive week reveals another leader, celebrity, or media personality accused of reprehensible behavior,” Kaine said in his request.