(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A group of Republican lawmakers is demanding that Congress release the names of their colleagues who have quietly settled sexual harassment lawsuits using taxpayer dollars.
Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.; Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.; and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., expressed their desire on X for the American public to know which congressional offices paid out over $17 million to settle these claims.
“Congress has paid over $17 million in hush money for sexual misconduct inside of the offices in these buildings. What’s more is that was taxpayer money,” Massie stated during a congressional hearing.
“I’m for turning loose all of these records. Who in here has had the taxpayer pay for their sexual misconduct charges? I bet there’s some over there. There may be some over here,” Massie added.
He posted a copy of his remarks on X, captioning it: “Don’t you think we should release the names of the Representatives? I do.”
Greene supported Massie’s call, stating that she wants to “release the congressional sexual slush fund list.”
“Tax payers should have never had to pay for that,” she emphasized. “Along with all the other garbage they should not have to pay for.”
Boebert echoed these sentiments, asserting that taxpayers deserve to know which lawmakers are tied to these settlement payments. “The People deserve to know! Name them all!!” she wrote.
Former Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, also backed the demands, sharing Massie’s clip.
Release them. https://t.co/1mQuxNAF9l
— Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (@FmrRepMattGaetz) December 28, 2024
Gaetz previously suggested that he might return to the 119th Congress solely to release the lists. He had resigned from the 118th Congress after President-elect Donald Trump unsuccessfully nominated him for the position of attorney general.
Someone suggested the following plan to me:
1. Show up 1/3/2025 to congress
2. Participate in Speaker election (I was elected to the 119th Congress, after all…)
3. Take the oath
4. File a privileged motion to expose every “me too” settlement paid using public funds (even of…— Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (@FmrRepMattGaetz) December 18, 2024
According to a report by the New York Post, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights has paid out over $17 million to settle nearly 300 cases of misconduct.
Some of these cases include accusations of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation and pay disputes.
Some of these settlements are linked to cases involving the Library of Congress, Capitol Police, and the Architect of the Capitol. These entities are located within the U.S. Capitol, but not part of the Senate or the House.
