It’s going to be easier than I thought to clean Republicans out of the Philadelphia suburbs.
Representative Patrick Meehan, a Pennsylvania Republican who has taken a leading role in fighting sexual harassment in Congress, used thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to settle his own misconduct complaint after a former aide accused him last year of making unwanted romantic overtures to her, according to several people familiar with the settlement.
A married father of three, Mr. Meehan, 62, had long expressed interest in the personal life of the aide, who was decades younger and had regarded the congressman as a father figure, according to three people who worked with the office and four others with whom she discussed her tenure there.
But after the woman became involved in a serious relationship with someone outside the office last year, Mr. Meehan professed his romantic desires for her — first in person, and then in a handwritten letter — and he grew hostile when she did not reciprocate, the people familiar with her time in the office said.
Life in the office became untenable, so she initiated the complaint process, started working from home and ultimately left the job. She later reached a confidential agreement with Mr. Meehan’s office that included a settlement for an undisclosed amount to be paid from Mr. Meehan’s congressional office fund.
Meanwhile, my congressman, Ryan Costello, seems to be cracking under the pressure.
Ryan just removed him from the Ethics committee, and I think they’re making him pay back the money he used to settle the claim.
They may say they’ll make him pay it back.
(Remember Farenthold’s ostentatious promise months ago to make good on the taxpayer $$ paid in settlement on his behalf? As of last report a couple of weeks ago: no movement there.)
That can’t be right.
CA congresscritter and Congressional Black Caucus officer Karen Bass, heard on NPR just now.
She’s great!
I was instantly paywalled by the Inquirer despite the fact that I haven’t accessed them in years so didn’t see that article and had already seen your post from last year so can’t comment further.
Regrets for the truly terrible Congressmember you have, Martin.
Meh! I had Henry Hyde for decades until the boundaries were redrawn. Then I had Phil Crane, turncoat Mellissa Bean and Joe Walsh. The last campaign that I actively participated in was CREDO’s “Take down Joe Walsh” campaign. And we did!
Sympathies for you re. the choices of the electorate in your Congressional District. That’s a very bad list of Representatives.
Thanks. But the majority of people are now represented by (R)’s and a lot by DINO’s. No wonder few people vote.
“Do you want to drink acid or hemlock?”
I’m truly not in the mood to get into a fight about this. I’ll just point out that there were literally zero Democratic Party Caucus votes for the tax Bill in the House and Senate. There has also been near unanimity in their Caucuses to oppose the horrible budget Bill currently moving.
So, maybe it’s worth considering the possibility that the members of the Democratic Party congressional Caucuses are making themselves extraordinarily distinct from their Republican counterparts.
Don’t want to argue, either. But I must mention that my (D) Congressman is a businessman who constantly sends e-mail touting his “bi-partisanship”.
It’s so satisfying to see the Republicans implode. Two of the four targets in Orange County CA are already gone. It should be ironic that a Republican “fighting” sexual harassment turns out to be a harasser himself, until you remember with Republicans it’s always about harassment. Gingrich cheated on his wives, Trump’s “charities” are pure fraud, etc., etc.
Generic poll seems to be tightening a bit but dems still lead it.
If only we had generic candidates!
Having grown up in West Chester I find Costello’s story hysterically funny.
Wahoo, the PA-07 just got a Top-Tier Candidate:
Former CIA officer, mother of 3, cancer survivor, with working-class roots. Neil Oxman is on board to do ads. I’m gonna call it now. Pat Meehan will not be in Congress in 2019.