Democrats Push for Congressman Meehan To Resign After Sexual Harassment Claim
On Tuesday, in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Meehan - who has styled himself a champion of victims of sexual harassment in Congress - acknowledged that he had a deep affection for the woman. He said he expressed "affection" for a former staffer and told her they were soul mates, but he is still denying that he sexually harassed her.
The New York Times reported Saturday that Meehan used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim against him for an undisclosed amount.
He told the Inquirer that he had told the woman he was "a happily married man and I was not interested in a relationship, particularly not any sexual relationship, but we were soul mates". The revelation of the settlement in a report by the New York Times on Saturday led to Meehan's expulsion from the House Ethics Committee, which began investigating his behavior this week.
Both also stated that the launch of the probe was not an indication of any violation by Meehan, who is now serving his fourth term in Congress.
"I think that the idea of soul mate is that sort of person that out go through remarkable experiences together", Meehan added.
In the interview, Meehan answered almost every question asked, but would not disclose the size of the payout, which he called "severance", not a settlement.
Alexis Ronickher, the attorney for Meehan's accuser, told CNN that his comments were a "gross violation of the agreement" between her client and him.
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Meehan settled with the former aide past year using taxpayer dollars after she filed a formal complaint of sexual harassment.
A spokesman for Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday that the Speaker "takes the allegations against Mr. Meehan very seriously". Meehan then reportedly grew hostile toward the woman when she did not accept his overtures. Meehan's office denied the allegations and said he "has always treated his colleagues, male and female, with the utmost respect and professionalism".
When the staffer did not reciprocate, she said the congressman became "hostile" toward her. Work in the office became hard and she then worked from home and filed a complaint. You are kind and sensitive and caring and infectious with your laugh.
In the letter, Meehan called the aide "a complete partner" who brought him "much happiness". He said he sought to remain loyal to his wife, and that he used his office funds to settle the harassment claim so he and the aide could move on and keep the issue private.
The woman filed a formal complaint, and after going through Congress' investigative process, she and the representative settled past year.
Democrats, including Gov. Wolf, have called for Meehan to resign and protesters have gathered outside his Pennsylvania offices demanding he step down.
The congressman's office said over the weekend that he had asked congressional lawyers who handled the case to ask the ex-aide's lawyer to dissolve the settlement's confidentiality requirements "to ensure a full and open airing of all the facts".
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