Harassment case cost taxpayers $84,000
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
WASHINGTON — Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, used $84,000 in taxpayer funds to settle a sexual-harassment claim, one of six settlements for workplace issues that were paid out by a secretive congressional office since 2013.
The six settlements for malfeasance in House offices totaled $359,450.
Details of the settlements emerged Friday after Congress’ Office of Compliance answered demands for information from the Committee on House Administration, part of an extensive review of sexual-harassment and discrimination in congressional offices. The sexual-harassment and indiscretion scandals that already had ensnared Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, pulled in two more lawmakers, Farenthold and Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev.
A former finance director of Kihuen’s congressional campaign told BuzzFeed News that the up-and-coming young Democrat repeatedly propositioned her for sex and touched her inappropriately until she abruptly quit the campaign.
Farenthold’s was the only sexual-harassment case settled by the office since 2013, according to Office of Compliance data. In 2014, the congressman’s former communications director, Lauren Greene, accused him of regularly making comments to gauge her interest in a sexual relationship, including saying he was having “sexual fantasies” about her.
Farenthold’s statement Friday is sure to spark new calls to pass bipartisan legislation that would release the parties to Office of Compliance settlements from the mandatory nondisclosure agreements that come with them.
“While I 100 percent support more transparency with respect to claims against members of Congress, I can neither confirm nor deny that settlement involved my office as the Congressional Accountability Act prohibits me from answering that question,” Farenthold said.
Details of Farenthold’s relationship with Greene have been known for several years after Greene sued the lawmaker in 2014, alleging he had illegally fired her after she complained about mistreatment.
Besides harassment, Greene’s suit accused Farenthold of drinking “to excess” on numerous occasions and said that staff members who accompanied him to Capitol Hill functions were put on “redhead patrol” to keep him out of trouble.
The same year Greene sued him, Farenthold announced he would give up a sexually explicit domain name — blow-me.org — that he had held since 1999, when he was in the business of buying such names on speculation and selling them.
The Office of Compliance said it has paid six settlements since 2013. The other cases include settlements for $150,000 for alleged veteran-status discrimination, $76,000 for age discrimination, $37,250 for alleged disability discrimination, $7,000 for alleged discrimination because of sex and religion, and $5,200 for alleged discrimination claims because of race, national origin, and military service.
Meanwhile, an attorney for Conyers, 88, said Friday that the congressman will discuss in the next few days whether to resign but that his health will be the paramount factor.
Facing growing calls for his resignation, Conyers returned to Detroit on Tuesday and was hospitalized the next day, reportedly for stress.