More than 50 people describe sexual harassment on Capitol Hill

[edjr 5,556]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/politics/sexual-harassment-congress/index.html

 

 

 

(CNN)Be extra careful of the male lawmakers who sleep in their offices -- they can be trouble. Avoid finding yourself alone with a congressman or senator in elevators, late-night meetings or events where alcohol is flowing. And think twice before speaking out about sexual harassment from a boss -- it could cost you your career.

These are a few of the unwritten rules that some female lawmakers, staff and interns say they follow on Capitol Hill, where they say harassment and coercion is pervasive on both sides of the rotunda.

There is also the "creep list" -- an informal roster passed along by word-of-mouth, consisting of the male members most notorious for inappropriate behavior, ranging from making sexually suggestive comments or gestures to seeking physical relations with younger employees and interns.

CNN spoke with more than 50 lawmakers, current and former Hill aides and political veterans who have worked in Congress, the majority of whom spoke anonymously to be candid and avoid potential repercussions. With few exceptions, every person said they have personally experienced sexual harassment on the Hill or know of others who have.

In an environment with "so many young women," said one ex-House aide, the men "have no self-control." "Amongst ourselves, we know," a former Senate staffer said of the lawmakers with the worst reputations. And sometimes, the sexual advances from members of Congress or senior aides are reciprocated in the hopes of advancing one's career -- what one political veteran bluntly referred to as a "sex trade on Capitol Hill."

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These anecdotes portray a workplace where women are subjected to constant harassment -- both subtle and explicit. They also highlight an antiquated reporting system that discourages some victims from speaking out, leaving many professionals on the Hill to rely instead on hushed advice from peers and mentors.

On Tuesday, a House committee held a hearing to examine the chamber's sexual harassment policies, and the Senate last week passed a resolution making sexual harassment training mandatory for senators, staff and interns -- two clear acknowledgments of the need for reform. Both House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell support ramping up sexual harassment training.

One female congresswoman told CNN that she has experienced sexual harassment from her male colleagues on multiple occasions over the years, but she declined to speak on the record or detail those interactions.

"Half are harassers," she said of her male counterparts in Congress, before quickly adding that that was an over-estimate -- only "some are harassers," she said.

 

Even though Eliarbeth Warren told her lies and tried to ruin it for those that were truly harassed.

 

THEY WILL BE HEARD!

 

 

 

Seriously. This has to be the least shocking thing ever?

[Reality 2,710]

Hollywood for the ugly, I hope those video's are never leaked...

[edjr 5,556]

Hollywood for the ugly, I hope those video's are never leaked...

 

[NorthernVike 2,080]

I would love to see this blowup like Hollywood.

[edjr 5,556]

I would love to see this blowup like Hollywood.

 

100%

 

Won't happen though

[BunnysBastatrds 1,913]

I would love to see this blowup like Hollywood.

I could drop a bomb like none seen to this point. Weighing my options at this point. And could prove it with a dead corpse laying in a coffin in Houston,TX at a masuleime closed in the late 60's. A suicide from a relative whose note was never made public the day she was found and my dad who vowed to go to his grave with it and it's secrets.

[wiffleball 4,638]

Google Mark Foley.

 

This ain't new.

 

They should immediately eliminate the sleeping in your office gag. All of these guys make enough money to afford an apartment.

 

It likely won't change the behavior, but that's one of those long-standing things that everybody knows about and is just begging for trouble to happen which inevitably does.

 

It is absolute horseshit. They have virtually an unlimited budget to redecorate their offices any way they see fit. Remember the guy who spent a bazillion dollars remodeling his in the style of Downton Abbey?

 

Cap that and give everybody a $2,500 monthly stipend 4 housing or something.

[cbfalcon 824]

I could drop a bomb like none seen to this point. Weighing my options at this point. And could prove it with a dead corpse laying in a coffin in Houston,TX at a masuleime closed in the late 60's. A suicide from a relative whose note was never made public the day she was found and my dad who vowed to go to his grave with it and it's secrets.

Same here, except mid 60s I think

[Hardcore troubadour 12,625]

I could drop a bomb like none seen to this point. Weighing my options at this point. And could prove it with a dead corpse laying in a coffin in Houston,TX at a masuleime closed in the late 60's. A suicide from a relative whose note was never made public the day she was found and my dad who vowed to go to his grave with it and it's secrets.

Wow. I don't think I could keep a lid on something like that.

[wiffleball 4,638]

Is there such a thing as a live corpse?

[Thornton Melon 544]

Is there such a thing as a live corpse?

Or a true Bunny story?