The conditions under which someone can make a complaint make our Congress sound like a little mafia, constantly enforcing it's family specific rules.
In most municipalities disguising payments to pay someone off as "salary" would be illegal. In fact, it would seem that if this was reported as salary on the books,, it had better have been reported as such to the iRS - by Mr. Meehan. And Congress. Reporters, any way to find out?
You know it isn't the fact that Meehan came on to an aide that is the horror story - it's his attempt to destroy her and cover his - and his accomplices - trails. and that he followed the "rules" set up to make is look as if the woman making a complaint is the one with presumed to have a problem. The taxpayers even paid for "his" lawyers And she - and all reporters who work there have to go for "counseling" because they made a report? What lowlifes these leaders are.
21
Just another example in a long, long ,long list of examples of the GOP hypocrisy subjects us to every day.
The Republicans hide their sexual misconduct and expect the tax payers to foot the bill.
Moreover, we have the chief sexual predator in the WH who is on tape bragging about his illicit sexual exploits and has paid hush money to Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about his affair wither her while his wife is home with their newborn.
Meanwhile, the Dems overreacted to Al Franken and forced him to resign while the GOP votes their predators into office.
You cannot make this stuff up.
The hypocrisy of the GOP never ceases to amaze and disgust me.
27
It's good to learn the quality of Republicans serving on the Ethics Committee. They are an important line of defense against those who forget their morals when they get elected.
These are the kind of people we can ALWAYS count on Republicans making sure serve in Congress.
We can't be great again without them. They are a bargain.
7
He, and all the others like him, committed a crime. They, not the taxpayers, should be responsible for settlement payments. If they don't repay, put them in jail. There must be accountability.
23
Some of the details provided in this article are very important.
A source close to the young woman stated that the settlement she agreed to was not sufficient to cover all of her costs arising from being harassed, primarily legal fees. It also states that she felt ostracized by everyone in congressman's office, moved home to live with her parents, and ultimately decided to emigrate.
A talented young woman felt she had to leave the country, to have a normal life again. Is this who we want to be? It should give everyone pause. If all of this is true, and if the emotional suffering Meehan caused means anything, then he has no place in Congress. Removal should be quick.
66
He used taxpayer money? He needs to pay it back and resign. And anyone else who has used taxpayer money to settle personal lawsuits needs to do the same. Period.
31
Of course he used taxpayer money. The contempt members of Congress have for this country is only surpassed by their own sense of entitlement and hypocrisy.
25
Of course.
That’s the beauty of having power and virtually no oversight. They can do anything they want.
It’s not like anything will happen to them.
They just passed a tax law in which we are borrowing nearly 2Trillion dollars to give money to people who already have more money than they can ever use, and it will be charged to the rest of the country.
And no oversight, and nothing anyone can do.
They are above the law.
Super power of greed and corruption.
38
how else would he know so much about sexual misonduct
11
What is wrong with America is a TWO party system. There should be more parties. Presently, the party that loses, just has to wait (bide their time) for 2-3 rounds of elections, to win back the majority, and restart their money-making binge. The German the French and even the British system is much better than our own
13
America used to be an identity to be proud of. Then it became a brand that could be sold and bought, Now it's at the level of counterfeit Russian, Saudi and Chinese goods.
17
What else would you expect: he's a post-moralist Republican
16
Never put a fox in charge of the chicken coop.
9
My gosh, if anyone in a position of power in the private sector unilaterally decided to use company funds to "hush" an underling they would be fired immediately and escorted out the door. I am tired of our public servants violating the public's trust.
24
"Our public servants"??? Trust me, anyone not 'serving' in a Congressional role (or one of their pals) would never see the light of day again if they tried anything like that!
6
Shameful male dominated corruption of government to hid abuse. He needs to go as he has no idea what is ethical.
13
Let's get out the violins and cry for poor Meehan. I'm also a constituent of the gerrymandered to death PA 7th so I know this guy has no mind of his own. He's just another Republican lackey. Don't believe me? Look at his voting record. He's never shown any independence. He votes just as he's told to vote. I'm happy to see him exposed not just as a Republican stooge but also as a mean spirited hypocrite.
The people crying for him are the ones paying his way with campaign money seeking a return on their investment. Meehan is alway happy to please his employers -and I don't mean the citizens of the PA 7th.
66
I don't believe you. And I have proof.
1)I saw a picture of Meehan, once. He and Carolyn (strangely accommodating wife) and the boys were standing infront of ther house. Threy have a DOG, for Pete's sake. And they were all wearing khakies.
10
"And they were all wearing khakies."
Including the dog?
9
Making the family DOG wear khakis is so low. No wonder Mr. Meehan was kicked off the Congressional Ethics committee by Mr. Ryan. Using tax payer funds to pay for his transgressions could not have been a factor.
6
I should have been clearer. The dog was wearing a Speedo. A red one.
7
The Republicans totally control the House of Representatives and to a man claim to stand for "family values" when running for relection.
And they routinely decry the waste of taxpayer dollars.
So why doesn't Speaker Ryan and his family values crowd cut off the use of these tax dollars by their House of Representatives that according to this article can be disguised as salary and even then not reported for months?
Why in the world do these Republicans have policies that permit the use of our tax monies to pay off the victims of their sexual abuse to our daughters, sisters, mothers and wives ?
Hmmmm...can anyone guess?
17
Maybe an independent panel of congressional staffers should be assembled to investigate and advise on sexual harassment in Congress. Allowing members of Congress to directly control the process is problematic because they are either involved in sexual misconduct or they must reach agreements and alliances with colleagues who are as a means of succeeding in the legislative careers. Picking some staffers (women and men from Democratic and Republican offices) to work at large for Congress in reviewing reports of misconduct, summarizing the information, and advising on new, protective policies, would be a more credible step forward than letting the ethics committees in both houses hash this out.
7
"Mr. Meehan was represented in this process by two officials from his congressional office and two lawyers for the House’s office of employment counsel."
So, the perpetrator is represented by FOUR people, most likely paid for by us, the taxpayers, while the victim has to pay for her representation?
The so-called justice system in the United States of America is appalling. The hypocrisy of it all makes me want to vomit.
47
No outrage from the ME TOO group in the Senate calling for his resignation? Where's the high moral group. Hope All Franken runs as an independent. Democrats need a leader...don't see anyone standing up for the Constitution, we the people, ethical processes nor common sense. When using public funds for anything other than the common good, should be brought to light. Using scapegoats to make a party look like that its all or nothing, never works. Trump is still in the white house...don't see a constant stream of Impeachment or RESIGN coming out the Me Too Senate Democrats either. Nancy P will probably take that off the table too, just like Bush and Cheney's Corruption Investigations. Probably wouldnt have been here today if that had happened!
2
Republicans seem to be confused on definition of ethics. If Meehan needs a dictionary to look up what it means, I'd be happy to send him one.
5
Nah, don't bother, he can put it on the taxpayers' tab.
3
You think this is bad? Wait until you find out what our so-called president has been up to, much of it unreported for months or years.
12
The law about conflict resolution as it's described here needs to be amended. Those who might corroborate the accusations should not have their evidence excluded from the process. And if the accuser must undergo counseling in submitting to this process, then the accused also should be at least offered if not required counseling.
If Congressman Meehan or others in similar positions offer to pay for silence under current law, then it should not be taxpayers who foot their bills. If the aide/accuser in this case has to agree to silence while the Congressman lies about the situation, she should not sign such an agreement that silences her. That's her moral situation, and if she's looking for money and integrity, then that may be her only out--under current law. Law should reflect the people's right to know about credible accusations.
4
Apparently, there are a great many time-sensitive hoops that an accuser must jump through, while the accused blithely continues in office without penalty and bills his constituents for the pay-off money. What a country!
12
Perhaps to soften the blow there's some award that Trump could bestow on Meehan before he resigns. The Roy Moore Medal of Honesty comes to mind. I'm comforted to know that he used taxpayer money to pay his victim off, given everything he's gone through. It would really be onerous for him to use his own money to settle the suit, that kind of stuff is better left to the plaintiff.
Time to go spend some quality time with his family before becoming a highly paid lobbyist.
4
It's astounding that elected representatives feel that they are entitled to spend time focusing on their romantic and sexual pursuits on our dime. Time's up on the assumption that this comes with having a congressional position.
They are paid to help run our government. Period.
Meehan and Murphy. Wonderful.
7
I'm really sick and tired of the statements that "vehemently deny these allegations" or similar from people accused of these violations, even after they've already been forced to settle the matter, thus agreeing to have wronged someone. Roy Moore tried it and it worked on Trump but no one else.
The behavior in the first place is deplorable. Attempting to cover it up for personal or political gain just multiplies it. How stupid do they think the public is?
9
Another Day, another wanna be Trump.
Thanks, GOP. November.
14
FYI, Pat Meehan represents the worst gerrymandered district in the U.S. The famous " upside down optopus". Our fair pa 7th.
10
Alternate headline: The Party of Hastert, Moore and Trump Now the Party of Hastert, Moore, Trump and Meehan
Republicans Have Hastert Trump and Meehan And They Just Want Moore
7
Unfortunately confidentiality provisions typically only have provisions punishing the plaintiff for a disclosure (eg liquidated damages) but no consequences against a defendant breaching, allowing the defendant to pick and choose what is disclosed knowing the plaintiff’s hands are tied.
11
Why didn't the Philadelphia Inquirer uncover this long ago? Philly media doesn't do enough to expose all the terrible politicians we have in the area.
16
Good question! Did it even make this morning's Sunday paper? You would have thought they would have been on this like a dog on a pork chop but I had to hear it on the ABC Evening News last night. KYW radio finally picked it up early this morning.
He use to be the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania before going to Congress.
4
I will be happy to help him compose his resignation letter.
10
Meehan's misconduct and subsequent denials is another example of a lawmaker who sees himself as above the law. While term limits isn't a perfect solution, it should be a part of the fix.
12
Where's the outrage demanding his resignation?
33
Family values man again.
24
Their party had Hastert, now they have Meehan and Trump. What Moore could they want?
3
Did someone say “ethics committee”? I guess that’s how congress gets through some of the drama which takes place every day. The ethics committee more like a comedy of moral errors.
And our tax dollars used to defend himself? That goes in the fraud column.
16
He should resign.
13
Another story from Washington about the crooks, bullies, jerks and heartless fools who run our country. And we get a new story with the same theme but different characters almost every day. How did it happen that, overwhelmingly, these are the people who seem to run and whom we elect?
10
That a boss in the workplace is attracted to a co-worker is not a bizarre thing...it happens frequently.
But when that boss leverages his senior position to make working for him untenable, and in this case pays the woman he was attracted to insufficient funds to live on and pay her legal expenses when she escaped his employ, that's abuse.
When reading this column, I noted how many women had been black-balled by reporting misconduct according to Congressional guidelines. The guidelines can be changed, but what about the gossip? Who is going to stop these men from exchanging information about the "willing" versus the "dangerous to their careers/family life"?
If these men are forced to hire an "unwilling young woman", after she has complained about another Congressman, what will stop them from firing her for another unrelated reason?
I wish simple laws could fix this, but these men seem not to have been taught respect for women, which starts long before they reach Congress.
11
He has always been an odious blot in Pennsylvania. Now he's an even worse example.
13
"It takes a thief to catch a thief."
Our elected representatives have extrapolated on this, to the point that they have become experts in the practice of every form of deceit and vice known to man. But only the common citizen pays a price.
4
It is bad enough that there are men, married men, ho think it's OK to chase some young woman and then when they get called on their bad conduct, use Federal taxpayer dollars to buy off that woman.
Who was the member of congress who wrote the law creating a fund to pay for members bad conduct? Who was it that voted in both houses to pass that law? Was this law written by and for the bad actors who get caught with their pants down?
This law and the funds used to buy off the person making a complaint need to be terminated and the money in the fund be returned to the Federal General Fund. We also need a law passed that forbids the use of any Federal funds in congress or in any Federal Agency from being used to settle sexual harassment claims. He or she that engages in sexual misconduct has to bear the cost of such perverted conduct out of their own pocket.
17
You can not make this stuff up. A member of the House Ethics Committee, not that I am keeping score, but wasn't another pro-life Republican hypocrite from PA retired because he asked his mistress to have an abortion. This is as good as Perry being in charge of the Dept. of Energy and Pruitt the EPA. We are down the rabbit hole, wait up for us Alice.
16
Men in high places use tax dollars to protect sexual predators and retaliate against victims. For example, Dr. Robert Kelly, former President of New York Presbyterian Hospital, admitted to being personally involved in an illicit sexual affair while he was overseeing an investigation of physician sexual misconduct by Peter Santogade, M.D. This sham investigation, which exonerated the perpetrator, included the victim not being permitted to see or sign “her own statement”. The investigation concluded with the victim of the assault, myself, being denied timely state funded sexual assault counseling through DOVE, the counseling center located at the hospital, because the perpetrator was a doctor. The law states, however, that victims are to be treated equally and given equal access to state supported counseling services, regardless of the identity of the assaulter. I now suffer from PTSD.
11
Sounds like your typical Republican congressman today. Vote in November, start changing things.
11
Meehan and other unscrupulous politicians really cast a shadow on the 10% of upstanding politicians
10
From what I know of Meehan's settlement, he did NOT settle it himself. We taxpayers settled it for him.
9
Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse!
3
Illustrating once again why "It's OK if you're a Republican" has been such a durable internet meme.
5
Both parties are well represented among the sexual offenders in Congress. However, the Republicans with their "family values" and holier-than-thou bible thumping bring hypocrisy to an absolutely stunning level.
19
From a purely practical standpoint, perhaps female Congressional representatives should run the ethics committees. They are far less likely to have committed sexual harassment than their male counterparts. But I guess that is not possible with a Republican controlled Congress since there are so few Republican representatives who are female.
8
Paul Ryan should demand that Donald Trump “be removed immediately “ from the office of president , or at the very least begin the impeachment process.
Just like Mr. Meehan, Trump is accused of paying hush money to a woman he had an extramarital affair with.
8
Ironic isn't it, that we had a fox in the henhouse, someone on the Ethics Committee? Even more ironic that he almost got away with it. The person he wronged is in dire financial straights, while this predator will retire with a lifetime pension. No matter how much exposure it receives, there is seemingly no end to it. Surely, his constituents will not reelect him?
8
While politicians on all sides are guilty of corruption and immorality, for Republicans it is particularly egregious and highly hypocritical, because they take pride in their platform of "family values" and high morals. They constantly tell us how to live our lives, sitting in judgement of others while secretly committing the very sins for which they publicly condemn others.
Meehan's hypocrisy here is no surprise at all. The new outrage here is that we learn that tax-payer's money is being used to settle the criminal behavior of elected officials. We are so polarized in our politics such that we will not unanimously demand change to an obvious bad policy, if such change will challenge our partisanship. So, we continue to reap the bad harvest we sow.
13
This is getting weirder by the day.
What he did was wrong. He should not have pursued a romantic relationship with a much younger employee or coworker.
And yes, she had the right to complain about this bad behavior.
But why was there a settlement of any kind? Sounds like hush money and that should be a felony offense, with mandatory jail time.
8
If true, my sympathies are with the aide, of course, and this may have been the first time this young attractive woman was put into such an unwinnable position, and she handled it as best she could. She probably thought he would come to his senses and her job would not be impacted. I wish.
When she turned down the older congressman she must have been frightened to see the other side of her boss. Although his feelings were inappropriate, they were real to him, and when she said no his anger and outrage at being turned down kicked in. I have seen the face of male hostility myself when they are turned down or turned away, and it is not pretty.
What happens too often in a workplace is that the victim keeps getting victimized and then labeled as a pariah when it comes to her future employment there. Sometimes the predator is nasty enough to try to sabotage her career elsewhere as well. When you say no to a man you are dealing a blow to his male ego that he never recovers from. He strikes back.
Since way too many public officials think nothing of using public funds or our money to cover their personal expenses, I am not surprised that this was the case here. The irony is the fact that the man is on the House Ethics Committee, but probably thinks like Trump, ethics and morals are for the other guy to uphold, not me. Especially if the other guy is a Democrat.
5
If members of the Senate and Congress has the same laws and compensation that the rest of Americans had - things would be much different.
Meehan needs to resign, now. If he doesn't, he needs to be voted out of office this Fall.
6
The sexual harassment of this woman by Mr. Meehan is, by all means, egregious and should result in his expulsion from Congress.
That he served a major role in the House Ethics Committee taints any of that committee's actions and edicts prior to his removal from the committee.
Also deeply troubling is that Meehan and his staff used taxpayer money, "disguised as salary," to pay a settlement complete with nondisclosure agreement. This screams of fraud on several levels - and it would be deemed so for the rest of us peons if we attempted it. Mr. Meehan and others who have utilized such questionable accounting practices should be facing criminal charges.
8
Minnesota Senator Al Franken’s transgressions were mild compared to lose of Rep. Meehan. With his resignation, Senator Franken set a high standard of behavior for all US Senators and Representatives to follow. Rep. Meehan, the time has come for you to apologize to your constituents, resign from office and refund tax payer money out of your own personal bank accounts, actions that I believe are best for your constituents, for the House of Representatives, for your Party and for the Country.
10
Love most the policies enacted that the one harassed has to go through. Then if a person has not had enough of that, well there's more to it.
"...has always treated his colleagues, male and female, with the utmost respect and professionalism." Really?
Funny how other people in the office are not saying the same thing here...but the testimonies are excluded from any investigation(s).
And of course will the Congress police it's own actions...
3
There is really not much to add, except, this will only end when we remove the republicans from power.
4
This man should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, not only for his actions with his staff member, but for using public taxpayer funds to pay for his actions. What gives him the right to use the public's money? The answer is there is none. He should have no more rights than any other taxpayer. His constituents should drive him out now!
59
For what crime? None is even alleged.
1
Really? Are you kidding me? You just can't make this stuff up.
18
Picky, picky, picky...at least it was a female he was harassing.
5
The only thing that's funnier than this article is the statement from Meehan's office, which the Times published today.
Don't miss it; an absolute masterpiece of fum-fuh. Not since Foghorn Leghorn...
9
"How to Succeed in America (The Gospel According to Trump)":
Be shameless. Be absolutely shameless. Don't quit after being exposed as a corrupt, hypocritical, sexist creep unless absolutely necessary. Hold your head high, knowing that the God to whom you pay lip service has pre-forgiven you. Be grateful that the president to whom you pay fealty is a worse creep than you are. Extend your hand for an obligatory token slap. Write a check on a taxpayer account to cover all sins. Send out a fundraising letter blaming some Democrat somewhere.
And never forget to wear your flag pin.
98
It’s beautiful!
3
Republican? Ethics? Au contraire!
25
Meehan is a real scoundrel. He should pay back the money and quietly resign from office. He does not belong in government.
32
His too bad he was not blessed with private wealth, like Trump, so he could pay a settlement for his sexual indiscretions and keep it all private. The stench starts at the top.
37
Your tax dollars at work!!!
35
Wow, the accompanying picture brings me back to my youth...Irish Mobsters striding onto a job site, looking to flex their muscle, maybe collect their "dues". Meehan looks a lot like a "Boss" back from the day...
Why do so many of our elected officials and their travel buddies look like they come right out central casting for mobsters...? Coincidence...?
Im not surprised that this was an insider deal made by the very individual involved...could have been a Democrat. Makes no difference.
The issue, our elected employees have been running loose, seeing themselves as white hatted, good-guy cowboys in the old West. Trouble is their hats are a shades closer to near black, not the pure white they pretend to wear.
I wonder if there is some sort of pysch testing that can be done to determine how close to criminal these elected employees truly are...
15
And not a peep from Republicans about this, lawmakers and base alike.
Not one.
Republicans are master hypocrites. No question.
66
"On Saturday, John Elizandro, Mr. Meehan’s communications director, issued a statement saying that the congressman “denies these allegations” and “has always treated his colleagues, male and female, with the utmost respect and professionalism.”"
Then why did Meehan settle a claim with taxpayer dollars out of his office expense fund? And then: "She said the congressman had demanded confidentiality in the first place" Meehan must think Americans are too stupid to ask these two questions.
Americans should demand that he pay back the money he paid this woman. Paying her with Federal dollars is not an acceptable, legal use of that money.
6
Republicans in congress hate waiting periods for folks buying guns, but they are all about a waiting period for young women seeking relief from the advances of a lecherous old guy. One could be shocked by the hypocrisy, if we did not see similar instances from the members of that party, every week.
74
This is Trumpism at its core: anti-environment running the EPA, nativists running State, anti-education running ED, and now a sexual harrasser running sexual harassment ethics. The Antithetical Administration.
58
What’s wrong with this; it is the ‘political’ way, done by many with general approval. The NYT might develop a narrative of the wealth of politicians - arriving/departing.
7
"Mr. Meehan was represented in this process by two officials from his congressional office and two lawyers for the House’s office of employment counsel."
He's got government staffers, including attorneys, working on his side for free, and however much this settlement was didn't pay the victim's costs. And then the payoff comes out of an unreportable slush fund. Your government at work.
65
It's bad enough that Congresspeople get paid during a government shutdown when almost no one else does. It's bad enough they have such weak oversight of sexual wrongdoing. But the fact that almost none of them has had to pay personally for their misdeeds is intolerable. The ethics investigations are secretive, the ethics committee stacked with friendly politicians, that panel absent of the kind of aides who tend to abuse the most.
This slush fund needs stricter limits on how it can be spent, better reporting on exactly how it has been spent and strong auditing oversight to keep watch over the ethically-absent officeholders. If they can't govern their own behavior, independent ethics watchdogs must do it for them.
4
He made the ethics committee to loose its ethics. Hope ethics returns
4
"I'm shocked! Shocked!"
Why does the media feign surprise at this happening? It goes on far too often and is finally, now, being partially exposed.
What fund of taxpayers' money is available for this sort of payoff? And why is the alleged victim the one who has to suffer through the process while the alleged perpetrator just goes on with his business? Why is this called a "romantic overture" (okay, maybe it's a romantic thing the first time, but should NEVER be between a boss and employee) when it clearly became harassment.
What a hypocrite this man is. Wonder what his family is thinking of him now, much less his constituents. I'm disgusted.
23
As a resident of Pennsylvania I am so embarrassed by this so called representative of our region! Why does he still have a job? And where does he get off using this money to settle this? Shame on him!
30
This is what is at the essence of this budget shutdown:
The Republicans are basically dishonest in the conduct, hypocrites on family values, financial management, and just morally bankrupt.
The GOP-Trump want the Democrats to capitulate.
If the Dems are going to do that, they may as well as salute Putin and cut out the middlemen.
14
Sums up everything that's wrong with Congress.
10
He stole from the Treasury, a practice we now see is quite commonplace with these worthless elected officials. In this instance, “lock him up” seems too kind an outcry.
16
After the female accuser filed her complaint, I want to know why she did not get her own free lawyers and staff advocates. Why was it only Rep. Meehan who got the help and free attorneys, the latter being supplied by a House employment office? Was she not also an employee in the House? The woman got no freebies, no staff help; she had to scrounge to pay for her own lawyer.
As for the House Ethics Committee, why are House aides -- co-workers like the ones who witnessed what the woman went through -- who should also be represented. They're the ones who tend to get abused, after all. Instead, we learn that Meehan's House advocates pushed against her account of his sexual harassment. It must have made her a little crazy to know that the entity in which she worked, instead worked only for the already-influential House Rep.
She and her colleagues need a process that tends to the underlings of powerful politicians, politicians who clearly have some major sexual issues to work out. I don't know how much money she got, but look at all the emotional, professional and financial upheaval she was put through by both Meehan and the current system -- her payback for being brave enough to stick up for her rights. Whatever money the accuser got in the crummy settlement, which kept Meehan's secret, it could not possibly be enough. It wasn't even Meehan's money to give her; It was her and ours.
28
Upton Sinclair had the best explanation as to why almost all Trump administration figures will support all of his lies and misdeeds (at least publicly). It also explains climate-deniers and others of their ilk.
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
8
There is a fundamental flaw in a system where the powerful has free counsel while the complainant must use her own funds. Why not at least cover that? It is clearly a procedural farce designed to discourage those who come forward.
As for Mr. Meehan, no surprise. The former hockey ref. made his way to Congress via the republican machine. He is just another stooge for the party and doubtless saw using “other people’s money” as a perk of the job. He embodies the entitled white male.
6
I very much like that quote. It speaks about what we now call "willful blindness."
3
I can only hope that the good people of PA will force him to repay the taxpayers money he basically stole and then remove him from power, never being allowed again to serve himself in public office.
26
Although I'm not a constituent of Congressman, this is one government office that deserves to be shut down.
15
The disgusting conduct of Meehan, charged with investigating other members of congress who are accused of harassment and misconduct is something from a Kafka play. Men behaving not just badly but in criminal matters as well continues to sully the institutions that they were expected to shine a light on has to be a slap in the face to the victims. Is there something in the water in Southwest PA?
9
Those of us who have not yet turned hypocrisy into the central feature of our lives can't keep up.
Those who have sure manage to get access to lots of dough.
12
A paradox of the power-privileged -- he sees himself as a champion for combating harassment by and against ordinary people, but he is incapable of seeing his actions as harassment because he doesn't consider himself ordinary.
5
On the ethics committee: what a farce. Others have left/been forced out and the same should happen to him. But he has also used taxpayer money. Pay back with interest! He is a scourge of the Congress.
8
That's my Congressman! So glad he is working hard for me in Washington.
15
So Meehan denies the allegations. Okay, then release the former aid from the non-disclosure agreement that she was forced to sign as a condition of settlement and lets see what she has to say.
41
The first thing that the Republican Congress tried to do in January 2017 was to do away with the Ethics Committee. They were stopped by the outrage of the American people.
These people think that they are above the law, and in a sense, they are, since they are rarely held accountable. For the most part, there is little or no oversight.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
86
My perspective differs from most of the out of town commentators as I actually know Meehan. Meehan is our congressman.He is an excellent legislator and is highly responsive to constituent needs. Previously Meehan served admirably as the District Attorney for Delaware and as US Attorney for the Eastern District. There seems to be a mass hysteria occurring regarding sex and the free (and unsupported) assertion of career ending claims of sexual abuse. I am standing up. There are no contentions of any physical assault regarding Meehan unlike Weinstein and others. There are no claims of carrier quid pro quo. There is simply a contention that a poorly phrased written communication triggered alleged and financially convenient claims of mental distress in the immature mind of the litigious recipient. Recently our State Senator Daylin Leech, another quite competent public servant, faced career ending claims of alleged sexual misconduct which, with no corroborating factual support, triggered demands for his resignation from office. I do not support or condone any actions or omissions by powerful people which properly are characterized as sexual misconduct. I do not support throwing highly qualified people, like Meehan or Leech, under the bus upon rather innocuous claims of in-artful verbal or written expressions of sentiment.
3
There are numerous polls that show that Americans distrust every other politician but hold blameless their own representatives. Why then are we surprised when the system is broken?
You seem to be suggesting that simply because you believe Meehan is "an excellent legislator and is highly responsive to constituent needs", that he therefore can do no wrong. Why did he settle and invoked confidentiality if he truly was innocent?
Her co-workers corroborated the accusation; they are witnesses, you are not. Therefore this accusation against Meehan is more credible that your denial.
7
I believe the "poorly phrased written communication" and "in-artful verbal or written expression of sentiment" that you seem to fob off constitutes a love letter from your boss. Followed by hostility when she did not reciprocate. This is sexual harassment - that there was no sexual assault or quid pro quo - does not excuse or mitigate what happened.
8
Bosses don't get to hit on their employees.
An ethical person knows that it isn't fair to hit on someone you have power over. And Meehan used all the power at his command, including personnel and money that was not his to spend in this way.
This is enough, all by itself, to demonstrate that your "highly qualified" description of this man is inaccurate.
9
For a party that fancies itself as the party of fiscal responsibility I guess that means they can shift their burden of financial responsibility to the taxpayer.
25
This is yet another example of the free press performing its responsibility to inform the public under our democratic form of government. Still, a number of questions need to be answered and further information circulated concerning Representative Meehan's behavior.
First, as the accuser's attorney is reported to have stated, is it true that Representative Meehan made that request that the settlement agreement remain confidential, and if so, why? Second, did Meehan pay this settlement with public funds from his office funds (and treat it as a salary payment) rather than from the federal Office of Compliance in order to hide the facts from his constituents and the public? Third, how significant a payment did Meehan make to settle the matter (which will provide some indication of the seriousness with which Meehan viewed the claim against him.
Hopefully, with further investigation, by this and other news sources, some of the answers to these questions will be forthcoming.
33
The government MUST sue to retrieve the taxpayer monies spent to pay any settlement for sexual misconduct. Who approved these payments? What law or regulation was enacted that permitted the use of taxpayer monies to pay sexual harassment claims? Who initiated the need of a rule or reg for this purpose? Who are the government officials behind this failure to manage taxpayer monies?
16
The GOP always puts the fox in charge of guarding the hen house, as long as the fox is a Republican. The corruption throughout the GOP is rank. They only "fix" problems when they go public. As long as know one knows what's going on, the Republicans will always take the unethical side to serve their own self interests.
23
I have the unfortunate bad luck to be one of Meehan's constituents. In our township two "wards" have been split off from the rest of the community to be a part of his district. I honestly don't think he could even find us without a GPS and I can't remember him ever showing up in our township although he might have been here at some point for a Republican event. In places the district we are a part of is only a 100 feet wide. Even though my friends and quite a few of my neighbors agree with little he does or says, it is almost impossible for us to be heard because the gerrymandering is so severe. We are ignored because he doesn't need our votes. It is doubtful he would be in Congress without this gerrymandering.
I feel very bad for the young lady he harassed.
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gerrymandering is the key to being ruled by an elite that has carved up your votes to make sure they win, no matter who is in their "district". If we don't solve this, the minority republican will always win.
10
How is it that a Congressman gets a free lawyer and his accuser has to pay for hers and the Congressman continues to be paid while she is not. They are both Federal employees and should receive equal treatment during the litigation.
126
Meehan denies he paid hush money to his aide. Okay, let the aide reveal how the money was delivered to her, and subpoena the Representative's books. Would be interesting to see how Meehan's bookkeeper labeled the pay-off. "Public relations"? "Campaigning"? "Meals and entertainment"? More dishonesty, perhaps. Follow the money!
57
Out the door, Meehan, after you pay the money back. What a hypocrite!
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“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 [sexual] misconduct complaint…”
This doozy of a sentence says it all: Republican, pretending to fight harassment, using our money, silencing the accuser.
But wait, there’s more! Also colluding is the entire secretive government “procedure,” in which the accuser has to wait 3 months before doing anything, but if she goes past 180 days, it’s too late to do anything; she can’t include corroborating evidence; she has to undergo a months of counseling; and then a month of “mediation."
It’s great the NYT and others are reporting this in detail. However, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to use the word, “harassment” instead of euphemisms like “romantic overture?” When something is unwanted and repeated it is neither ‘romantic,’ nor an ‘overture.’ It is harassment.
Harassment is not legal in the federal workplace. And yet, this “process” of shielding the accused could not be better designed than if it’s sole intention was to keep women down and to excuse and then perpetuate the existing structure of power and protection of those in power.
Oh wait, that is the intention.
203
Right, it's not a bug, it's a feature.
5
"...wouldn’t it be more appropriate to use the word, “harassment” instead of euphemisms like “romantic overture?”"
Unfortunately the Times is still intimidated by the "romantic overtures" of the Republican Party.
4
I hope he is thrown out of office and his career prospects are greatly affected. Powerful men/people need to be humble and walk small.
81
Fear not for Mr. Meehan's career prospects.
He's 62, and if he's used his congressional post as his party intends, he's most likely a millionaire. If he chooses to keep working, some talking-point factory will pay him a nice "senior fellow" sinecure.
10
When will people get the message that it is not appropriate to demonstrate any romantic interest in a subordinate?
70
I am flummoxed by how many older men think they are so attractive that younger women just couldn’t possibly resist! And then a possible opponent also is accused of sexual harrassment. Until these cases came to the forefront recently, I had no idea this behavior was so rampant.
10
I'm curious about the 'often must wait 3 months' rule. Perhaps one of these articles could clarify under what circumstances one must wait 3 months? What of (albeit extremely rare) cases of physical abuse?
Although a 90 day waiting period is egregious, I feel that I would be better armed to protest knowing under what circumstances one must wait that long.
I feel for this victim, who by all practical means followed procedure. I'm sure it won't be long before Fox news unearths her name and parades it over national news...
51
What kind of accounts do our elected officials have access to that allows such indiscretions with taxpayer money? Where does the oversight reside to preclude inappropriate, or even discretionary use of funds for anything other than the benefit of the electorate? Clearly, the oversight must be extraordinarily lax and offers yet another reason why the "ruling class" has reason to perpetuate itself and sweep the idea of term limits under the rug, along with their scandals.
130
Yes! Yes! The real issue here is WHY any money is allowed to cover/settle/make go away for ANY person in our government who engages in ANY type of corruption, indiscretion, stealing, etc. etc. WHY???
8
Just imagine the taxes we'll have to pay to cover Trump's damages.
5
" They often must wait about three months before filing an official complaint, yet they must initiate the process no later than 180 days after the offending behavior. Once the process is initiated, accusers must submit to up to 30 days of counseling and complete another 30 days of mediation."
That is ridiculous. They have made the rules so that the complainant just gets worn down, both emotionally and economically.
236
Worn down and quits is my guess.
Suggest that the new rules are written by the staff - and put before the public before being approved and implemented.
10
And they're all alone while confronted by all those barriers. The aggrieved woman got nothing for help while her alleged abuser got free staff representatives and free staff attorneys. David facing a Goliath system dead set against the little guy.
15
all the more reason for the victims to take their grievances directly to the press and outside law enforcement, at least if the offenders still have a scrap of shame.
4
Why does this guy still have a job?????? How much money? Is he going to pay it back?
158
Why does he still have a job? Not thanks to my vote which was negated by the extreme Gerrymandering of my district. Here’s hoping Gov Wolf gets to make an appointment before the next election
9
Resign or be voted out!
3
Remember when this would've been the top story of the week?
So much scandal fatigue has set in that attention is barely being paid …
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