Analysis finds 53 workplace harassment allegations against 30 lawmakers amid wave of resignations in Congress
Fifty-three allegations of workplace sexual harassment have been made against at least 30 House and Senate lawmakers over the past two decades, an advocacy group said in a study that was released Tuesday amid a spate of ethics-fueled resignations in Congress.
Most of the lawmakers from 13 states and Guam who have faced allegations have since left office, but nine continue to hold seats, the nonpartisan National Women’s Defense League (NWDL) said.
The findings come amid heightened scrutiny of Congress’s personal behavior after Eric Swalwell, a Democrat and former frontrunner in California’s governor race, last week resigned. The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN published reports of women accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, quit his seat the same day, after weeks earlier admitting to an affair with a former aide who later died by suicide.
Almost all cases the NWDL documented are of men harassing women, and 77% of allegations involve members of the legislative staff. The number of actual instances of harassment is likely higher, as only a third of victims ever go public with their accounts, studies have found.
