House lawmakers distributed over $338,000 from a taxpayer-funded account, which has been dubbed a “sexual harassment slush fund,” between 2007 and 2017. This information came to light through data released by Rep. Nancy Mace this week.
Although this amount exceeds previous estimates, it represents a small fraction of the $18 million total allegedly used for workplace settlements on Capitol Hill, as speculated.
On Monday, Mace (R-SC) identified four former legislators whose offices were involved in these payments: Reps. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), Eric Massa (D-NY), John Conyers (D-Mich.), and Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.).
All four had been previously implicated in sexual misconduct allegations.
Farenthold’s office disbursed $84,000 in 2014. Massa’s office made payments totaling $115,000 across several instances in 2010. Conyers’ office settled for $50,000 in 2010, with an additional severance of $27,111.75 in 2017, while Meehan’s office paid $39,250 in 2017.
All four were also listed on the House Ethics Committee’s record of 28 publicly disclosed sexual misconduct investigations of members, dating back to 1976, released last month.
Mace’s list also revealed two previously unknown offices that made payments: Former Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.) paid $15,000, and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) reached an $8,000 settlement.
Alexander has claimed the payment was due to a former staffer’s behavior, who was dismissed upon his learning of the allegation. McCarthy passed away last year.
In 2018, amidst the “#MeToo” movement, Congress legislated against federal funding for lawmakers’ sexual harassment cases, ceasing taxpayer-funded settlements.
Mace acquired these names following a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee earlier this year.
“One thousand pages,” Mace wrote on X, showcasing a binder of documents. “All records prior to 2004 were destroyed – which tells you everything you need to know about how long this has been buried.”
“We will release the full 1,000 pages – once we confirm that personally identifiable information of victims and witnesses has been properly redacted,” she added. “Accountability is not a threat. It is a promise.”
Mace’s fellow representative, Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), demanded transparency regarding the more than $18 million used to resolve nearly 300 workplace complaints involving congressional offices, the Capitol Police, the office of the Architect of the Capitol, and the Library of Congress between 1997 and 2019.
The settlements covered issues such as discrimination, harassment, pay disparities, and retaliation.
Speculation has grown that a significant portion of the $18 million, as noted in a 2019 Office of Congressional Workplace Rights report, was allocated to sexual misconduct claims.
“$18 million of your taxpayer dollars was used to pay out sexual harassment settlements by the congressional slush fund,” Luna stated on X last month.
The Post reached out to Luna’s office for comments.
Congress is currently confronting issues of sexual misconduct following rape accusations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) last month.
Swalwell has since withdrawn from the California governor race and resigned from Congress. He now faces investigations from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the Justice Department. The California politician denies wrongdoing but admitted to “mistakes in judgment,” which include extramarital affairs.
Former Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) also resigned last month after being caught sexting subordinates. One of these subordinates tragically lit herself on fire after dousing herself with gasoline last year.
