INTERVIEW – REP. BARBARA COMSTOCK – R-VA – discussed sexual harassment on Capitol Hill.
- Members of Congress engaged in sexual harassment, lawmakers say. (Politico) — Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) said a member “decided to expose himself” to a young female aide sent to drop off materials at his home. The young staffer was “greeted with a member in a towel,” Comstock told fellow lawmakers, who “invited her in” before committing the offense. “She left, she found another job,” Comstock said. “But that kind of situation — what are we doing here for women right now who are dealing with somebody like that?” Comstock’s remarks suggest that Speier’s push for broad reform of Congress’ harassment policy, spearheaded in the Senate by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), might find bipartisan support. The Virginia Republican also acknowledged the bipartisan character of the sexual offenses that have walloped Hollywood, the media, and politics, citing prominent alleged perpetrators of all political stripes, including Bill O’Reilly, Harvey Weinstein, Roger Ailes, and Kevin Spacey.
