Congressman-Elect Poindexter Faces Sexual Harassment Allegation; DCCC Hires Independent Firm to Investigate
WASHINGTON — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) confirmed on November 13 that it has hired an independent, third-party firm to investigate an allegation of sexual harassment against Congressman-elect Brian Poindexter during his campaign, according to CNN and Politico. The allegation comes from a woman who worked on his campaign, who says Poindexter made sexually harassing comments toward her during the race. At her request, neither her identity nor the specifics of the allegation have been made public.
Poindexter, 47, won Ohio's 7th Congressional District in the November 3 midterm elections, defeating Republican Representative Max Miller. "The DCCC has been made aware of the allegations and takes them seriously," DCCC Executive Director Julie Merz said in a statement. "In the interest of fairness to all parties involved, we have hired an independent, third-party firm to investigate any instance of inappropriate behavior, conduct interviews and gather the facts." She said the investigation would be swift, thorough and transparent, and that the DCCC would comment further once it is complete.
The DCCC was alerted by the Blue Dog PAC and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC. In a joint statement, the two groups said they became aware of a report of alleged sexual harassment in the final days of the campaign, informed the DCCC, and connected the woman with legal advocacy and support services so she could decide how she wanted to proceed. Both groups have pulled their endorsements of Poindexter pending the outcome of the investigation. They said the complainant asked that details not be disclosed publicly because she did not want her identity to become public and wanted time to decide how to proceed.
A spokesperson for Poindexter's campaign said he had given what he thought was an innocuous compliment to a volunteer, later heard that it made her feel uncomfortable, and "felt awful." The campaign said that as soon as he learned of it, it engaged an outside human-resources firm to get to the bottom of the matter, and that neither Poindexter nor the campaign ever wants anyone to feel uncomfortable.
The investigation is ongoing. No finding has been made, and the allegation remains unproven. Poindexter was backed by Senator Bernie Sanders; Miller, the incumbent he defeated, had himself faced allegations of abusing his ex-wife, a daughter of Senator Bernie Moreno.
(Source: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee)
Source: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国国会大厦西立面（资料图，GSM 联邦核心图库固定图）。Noclip 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The west front of the U.S. Capitol (file photo; GSM federal core asset pack). By Noclip, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
