Former congressman Eric Massa from New York lasted only a little more than a year in Congress before he resigned after charges he'd groped a male staffer emerged. His defense? They were just playing. As an example of how they were "just playing," Massa recounted that he'd tickled the male staffer until he couldn't breathe. This was after he'd resigned.
At any rate, the Massa-the-Tickler's resignation also came with monetary costs for Congress, whose Office of Compliance made a secret payout to the staffers (and there were more than just one) that he groped, totaling about $100,000. This is the first confirmed payout from that office of an actual sexual harassment claim (the other payouts are lumped in with all workplace settlements, and aren't annotated as being specifically related to sex harassment claims).
"The Congressional Office of Compliance secretly paid close to $100,000 in taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment claims from at least two young male staffers who worked for disgraced former Congressman Eric Massa, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter told ABC News…
The 1995 Congressional Accountability Act gave the Office of Compliance the ability to use taxpayer dollars from the Department of Treasury to settle harassment claims against members of Congress…
Making the process even more opaque, accusers who resolve sexual harassment complaints in Congress are almost always made to sign non-disclosure agreements as a part of the terms of their financial settlements. That agreement prevents them from talking about the money or the allegations of sexual misconduct.
“The entire process is designed solely to protect the institution of Congress,” said a person intimately familiar with Massa’s cases, who asked not to be identified."
Congress secretly paid nearly $100,000 to settle harassment claims against disgraced congressman - ABC News
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
At any rate, the Massa-the-Tickler's resignation also came with monetary costs for Congress, whose Office of Compliance made a secret payout to the staffers (and there were more than just one) that he groped, totaling about $100,000. This is the first confirmed payout from that office of an actual sexual harassment claim (the other payouts are lumped in with all workplace settlements, and aren't annotated as being specifically related to sex harassment claims).
"The Congressional Office of Compliance secretly paid close to $100,000 in taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment claims from at least two young male staffers who worked for disgraced former Congressman Eric Massa, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter told ABC News…
The 1995 Congressional Accountability Act gave the Office of Compliance the ability to use taxpayer dollars from the Department of Treasury to settle harassment claims against members of Congress…
Making the process even more opaque, accusers who resolve sexual harassment complaints in Congress are almost always made to sign non-disclosure agreements as a part of the terms of their financial settlements. That agreement prevents them from talking about the money or the allegations of sexual misconduct.
“The entire process is designed solely to protect the institution of Congress,” said a person intimately familiar with Massa’s cases, who asked not to be identified."
Congress secretly paid nearly $100,000 to settle harassment claims against disgraced congressman - ABC News
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."