House Democrats investigate sexual harassment claim against new congressman

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Nov, 06:08 · Archive

House Democrats are investigating an allegation of sexual harassment against Brian Poindexter, who won last week's election to represent Ohio's 7th congressional district, defeating incumbent Republican Max Miller. The allegation was made by a campaign worker.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Poindexter's campaign have both launched investigations. The DCCC said it had hired an independent firm to investigate 'any instance of inappropriate behavior, conduct interviews and gather the facts'. Julie Merz, the DCCC's executive director, said the probe would be 'swift, thorough and transparent'.

Poindexter's campaign characterised his actions as 'an innocuous compliment to a volunteer'. A spokesperson said: 'He heard later that it made her feel uncomfortable and he felt awful.' The campaign said it is working with an outside human resources firm to investigate. Two political action committees — the Blue Dog PAC and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC — informed the DCCC of the allegations and pulled their endorsements of Poindexter pending the investigation's completion. The woman involved requested that details not be disclosed publicly and wanted time to decide how to proceed.

How it is being reported

• Dems launch sexual harassment probe against newly elected Brian Poindexter — who ousted GOP Rep. Max MillerThe allegations against Poindexter, 47, were leveled by a campaign worker, Politico reported on Friday.New York Post · 14 Nov, 05:50
• New congressman faces sexual harassment allegationHouse Democrats are investigating an allegation of sexual harassment against Brian Poindexter, who defeated embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller.CBS News · 13 Nov, 22:08

In this story: Brian Poindexter · Max Miller · Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee · Ohio · Bernie Sanders

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