Women in Congress lead effort to hold colleagues accountable for sexual misconduct

WASHINGTON (TNND) — When several young women came forward last month with allegations of sexual misconduct against now-former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., – which Swalwell denied – the nation got a glimpse into what many on Capitol Hill now admit is a culture of abuse spanning many decades, likely longer.

When several young women came forward last month with allegations of sexual misconduct against now-former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., – which Swalwell denied – the nation got a glimpse into what many on Capitol Hill now admit is a culture of abuse spanning many decades, likely longer. (TNND)

“The swamp protects itself,” said Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla. “And candidly, Congress has never been great about policing themselves.”

As co-chair of the Republican Women’s Caucus, Cammack, and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, were recently chosen by House leadership to take the reins of a bipartisan effort to combat sexual misconduct in Congress.

“I’ve had a couple of staffers approach and say, ‘Listen, I’m really worried that if I come forward, I could lose my job. I’ve worked really hard to get here.’ And that is just such a sad, sad state that we find ourselves in, where people are having to make the decision of, do I report a case of sexual misconduct, or do I protect my career?” Cammack said.

Fernández said they intend to streamline the process for reporting misconduct, raise standards for workplace training and resources, and put measures in place to better prioritize staff and survivors.

It is sickening that Congressmen sexually harassed and assaulted women staff instead of treating them with the respect they deserved. We know these women are not alone—women across America have been sexually assaulted and harassed by men at work who think they will never face any consequences,” Fernández said.

Swalwell, who was also considered a top contender in the California gubernatorial race, resigned from Congress on the evening of April 13. Just an hour later, now-former Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, announced his resignation after months of pressure to step down over his admitted affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide.

Without naming names, Cammack said she believes there are more current members of Congress “who have engaged in terrible, unethical and illegal behavior that should not be serving.”

Last week, the House Committee on Ethics confirmed its investigation of Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., over allegations of sexual harassment and fostering a hostile work environment. Edwards called the allegations “horseshit.”

Though there’s been a recent wave of high-profile allegations, sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill is nothing new. The House Committee on Ethics’s record of publicly disclosed investigations into lawmakers accused of this behavior nearly dates back to the committee’s inception. Between 1976 and now, there have been 18 cases in which sitting members of Congress were found to have engaged in sexual misconduct toward staff or other personnel on Capitol Hill, or resigned amid the allegations. There’s no way of knowing the degree of sexual misconduct committed by lawmakers before this time.

Cammack and Fernández will coordinate with leaders of the House Administration Committee on formal proposals for reform. Some may be as basic as ensuring lawmakers and staff know what behavior is and isn’t OK.

You know, sometimes comments are made that, may have been acceptable 40 years ago, not acceptable today. And I want to be fair here, it’s not just men that are doing this. There’s also women who are engaged in some of this behavior that’s not OK. And again, it’s not just members. It’s also staff. So you have some senior staff that may be taking advantage of some younger junior staff,” Cammack said.

Of the 18 cases documented by the committee, 17 lawmakers were men and one was a woman, which raises the question: Why does the work of reforming the culture of Capitol Hill fall on the shoulders of women?

“Earlier this week, we were asked that exact question, and (Fernández) said very candidly, ‘It’s because women get – ” Cammack said, clearing her throat to suggest she considered using a stronger word, ” – ‘stuff’ done. And I have to agree with her.”