by Nick Tomboulides
Members of Congress are spending your money to cover up their sexual crimes.
That’s according to bombshell testimony from Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), who is bravely exposing the culture of sexual harassment in Washington.
According to Speier, Congress doled out $15 million in hush payments to settle 260 cases between 1997 and 2016. None of the money came from individual lawmakers. It’s all from a secretive, taxpayer-backed slush fund that Congress created in 1995. Keeping with typical Washington doublespeak, the fund was created by a law called the “Congressional Accountability Act.”
Dozens of staffers as well as congresswomen have since come forward to share their stories of being preyed upon by politicians who lack self-control. One woman told Speier that she was grabbed by her genitals on the House floor. Others reported instances of groping and indecent exposure from fellow members.
The victims say many of their harassers are still in office, which is no surprise considering that members of Congress often stay in power for decades. To protect one another, women on Capitol Hill have begun sharing around a “creep list,” an informal account of the members who are most well-known for inappropriate conduct.
The power dynamics inside Congress discourage victims from coming forward, because they fear repercussions for their careers and reputations. Speier is advocating changes – like elimination of a 30-day waiting period for a complaint — to make it easier for women to report harassment.
The present system may have been OK in the Dark Ages; it is not appropriate for the 21st century,” Speier said, calling it a “hellhole … to try to traverse.”
These secretive settlements also raise questions that can only be answered by leaders at the highest levels of Congress. Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell must immediately explain:
- why the American people – who are Congress’ employer — do not know which members have been charged with sexual harassment
- how much taxpayer money was paid out on behalf of each member
- which member or members of Congress approved these payments
- why no one is taking responsibility for this behavior
In the House, the buck is supposed to stop with Speaker Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. But both deny having any knowledge of the settlements.
If they’re not taking responsibility here, who will?
Hardly a day goes by without Congress doing something to dispel the myth that they’re “public servants” who can handle power responsibly.
For years, term limits advocates have made the point that it is part of human nature for power to corrupt. Even people with the best of intentions, after getting elected, begin to believe in their own hype, fall into arrogance and abuse their positions. That’s why we say: cut them off before their arrogance and self-absorption can spiral out of control. Cut them off before they become so morally bankrupt that they begin to hurt those around them.
Congress has pushed back and tried to reassure the public that no abuse is taking place. That no term limits are needed. But we know better. We have seen enough to know that the status quo is failing. It’s failing to protect humility, failing to protect democracy and now…failing to protect women.
Enough is enough.