Good for Speaker Dade Phelan for forthrightly calling this out, but the underlying issue is a matter of culture, it’s been this way for a long, long time, and it’s going to be a slog to change it.
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan in a speech to colleagues Monday called for reforms to some of the chamber’s policies relating to sexual harassment training and reporting, days after an allegation came to light that a lobbyist used a date rape drug on a Capitol staffer.
“These allegations shake our Capitol family to its core,” the first-term Republican speaker said soon after the House gaveled in, “and I am disgusted that this sort of predatory behavior is still taking place in and around our Capitol.”
On Saturday, the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed it had opened an investigation into a complaint made recently by a Capitol staffer. Officials though have so far declined to comment on further details, including the names of anyone allegedly involved. The news was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman.
News of the allegation prompted state lawmakers, staffers and other Capitol observers to denounce the alleged incident, with some House members declaring on social media they were banning from their Capitol offices any lobbyist or lobby firm associated with the accusation.
By Sunday, HillCo Partners, a prominent Austin-based lobby firm, told state lawmakers in an email that it had launched an internal investigation into the matter, with one co-founder of the firm later telling The Texas Tribune that HillCo had been “tipped off” that one of its employees “is a person of interest” in the investigation.
Phelan said he was directing the House General Investigating Committee to establish an email hotline for staffers in House offices to submit reports or complaints of harassment in the workplace.
The speaker also said he had directed the House Administration Committee to change the chamber’s required sexual harassment prevention training to be completed in-person rather than virtually.
See here for the background. Again, I commend Speaker Phelan for taking this seriously – we’ve all seen plenty of examples of people in similar positions of leadership who have done much worse. But let’s be honest, there’s only so much that an email hotline and in-person sexual harassment prevention training can do. The problem is cultural, it’s deeply rooted, it’s not tied to a party or ideology, and it adapts to changing circumstances. It’s going to take the collective action of the entire Capitol community to make this stop – not just not tolerating the behaviors that have existed for decades, but calling them out and imposing consequences, even on friends and ideological allies. I don’t have to tell you that this won’t be easy – just look at how the “Me Too” movement has played out in society at large – and it won’t be quick. It’s just that there’s no other choice.
I’m going to end with a few more tweets, and the hope that the staffer who was victimized by this predator finds the justice she deserves. There’s video of Rep. Phelan’s speech at KVUE, and the Chron and Reform Austin have more.
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Not ready to stop talking about the latest #txlege news – the lobbyist being investigated by DPS for allegedly drugging a staffer with rohypnol, the drug that knocks you out & messes with your memory, commonly used by rapists to subdue the people they are assaulting. A thread:— Andrea (@nonsequiteuse) 7:20 AM – 26 April 2021
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New: 30+ women House members have signed on to an “Open Letter of Support to Capitol Staff”“We … hope that this sends a clear message that we will not
tolerate sexual harassment or abuse,” letter says.Letter: https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6b56573b3f92b87c1f022d933af076e1/Open%20Letter%20of%20Support%20to%20Capitol%20Staff.pdf #txlege
— Cassi Pollock (@cassi_pollock) 2:04 PM – 26 April 2021
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Dear #txlege,Ways to not support a survivor:
1) feign surprise that there’s a culture of sexual harassment & predators in the building
2) virtue signal by following a rep who filed a bill that would let a rapist sue a victim’s doctor
3) wear the wrong color for SA awareness
— Dyana Limon-Mercado (@DyanaforTexas) 9:42 PM – 25 April 2021
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I’ll believe the culture in the #txlege is changing when I hear stories about male members on the floor calling out or in their fellow members for making shitty little comments all the time— Jessica Shortall (@jessicashortall) 4:21 PM – 26 April 2021
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Respect to Rep @JaceyJetton, who is a friend, but I’ve heard from several Texas Capitol women this morning who say this will do *nothing* to fix a toxic culture in the building but it does make it harder for women in the lobby trying to earn a living #TxLege— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) 9:06 AM – 26 April 2021
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Watching the Republican #txlege members tweeting about locking their doors to alleged abusers is infuriating. – How about return their checks and get out of the women’s health business? Start there.— genevieve (@genvc) 11:14 AM – 25 April 2021
UPDATE: Welp…
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Lobbyist accused of drugging a Capitol staffer has retained counsel. His lawyers released this statement:
#txlege— Wes Rapaport (@wesrap) 3:57 PM – 26 April 2021
Whoever was at the center of this was always going to defend himself. This tells me that his defense will be quite vigorous. It could get a lot more contentious from here.
Nothing like pre-convicting someone, amirite, Dade?
“….and I am disgusted that this sort of predatory behavior is still taking place in and around our Capitol.”
Until the investigation is finished, we don’t really know what did or did not happen. All we know is an allegation was made. Anybody can make an allegation. Tara Reade made one. Turns out Biden didn’t assault her. The accused in this case could very well be innocent, too.
Bill is right.
Until the investigation is finished on the GOP/Trump/Qanon supporters who injured and killed Capitol police officers on TV with hundreds of hours of video footage we should reserve judgement.
Like Laura Ingraham said “we don’t know who it was…it could be Anitifa”
Brad,
ZERO Capitol police officers were killed by the protestors on Jan. 6. Officer Sicknick’ autopsy was finally released. Turns out, he did NOT get hit with a fire extinguisher. Turns out he did NOT get sprayed with bear spray. He had two strokes. Natural causes. That blows up yet another Blue Anon conspiracy lie.
The only person murdered that day was…..Ashli. You are jubilant a cop is getting life for allowing a violent felon drug addict to overdose, but Ashli gets murdered, no warning, no nothing, just straight up murdered, and you’ve got nothing to say.
Despicable. And we already know there were blm/antifa agitators there that day.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13749423/black-lives-matter-activist-john-sullivan-charged/
Oh, lookie, a blm agitator dressed and kitted up to look like a Trump supporter. And he’s right next to Ashli when she is murdered. Weird. Even weirder is, Sullivan has been released, no charges at all. Why? Because he’s on the right team. Meanwhile, Trump supporters are being held with no bail in solitary.
https://nypost.com/2021/02/17/accused-capitol-rioter-john-sullivan-sold-footage-for-35k-to-nbc-cnn/
“Accused Capitol rioter John Sullivan sold video footage he recorded at the Jan. 6 siege to NBC and CNN for $35,000 each, according to new court papers.
The news came as prosecutors on Tuesday tried to ban the Utah provocateur — a self-styled anti-Trump activist who they allege infiltrates protests to cause chaos and record video footage — from accessing social media, according to Politico.”
Hmmm. Blm. Infiltrates protests to cause chaos and record video.
Leftist source confirming that Sicknick died of natural causes:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brian-sicknick-capitol-riot-died-natural-causes/
But hey, at least Dems had to suffer the indignity of giving a cop a state funeral sendoff, even though they already knew he didn’t actually die in the line of duty. They had to do it to continue the Blue Anon narrative. That must have really chapped Nancy’s ass.
Last off topic post, I promise.
Hey, Kuff, what about our Sheriff being tapped to run ICE? I’m quite sure you have thoughts about that. Will we see a post about it tomorrow?
The prosecutor going after the January 6th protestors specifically ADMIT the two people they accused of killing Sicknick did NOT deploy any bear spray against Sicknick.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/04/prosecutor-admits-defendant-did-not-use-bear-spray-against-officers-during-capitol-hill-riot/
“Assistant U.S. Attorney Gilead Light admitted Julian Elie Khater, 32, did not use the bear spray he had in his hand during the January 6 Capitol Hill riot:
Julian Elie Khater, 32, of State College, Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, are charged in spraying the chemical irritant at Capitol police officers Brian Sicknick and Caroline Edwards, as well as Metropolitan Police Department officer Damian Chapman.
However, during the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gilead Light acknowledged to Hogan that bear spray was never used, despite video clips presented earlier in the case.
“It does appear the bear spray that Mr. Khater was holding 10 minutes earlier was not used,” Light said….”
So they charged people with spraying Sicknick, and in the next breath, they admit that the two guys charged did not, in actuality, spray Sicknick.
Bill,
Thanks for the link to the right-wing blog. Always happy to find another source of knewz.
Frankly I was surprised they simply weren’t completely denying the existence of the brutal attack on the Capitol, like GOP senators and congressmen.
Apologies Brad. Here is the same info from a trusted leftist source:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/27/politics/sicknick-capitol-bear-spray-pepper/index.html
“Washington (CNN)The Justice Department on Tuesday abandoned the idea that pro-Trump rioters had used bear spray against US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the January 6 riot, a major change….”