Common Cause: Senate Ethics Committee Can Not Investigate Sexual Harassment

NEW YORK, NY (01/11/2018) (readMedia)-- Yesterday Senator Klein was accused of sexually harassing a former member of his staff, setting off a discussion about the process by which to handle an investigation into the claim. Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY, responds:

"There is no senator qualified to investigate a colleague for any alleged wrongdoing, whether it's someone in the IDC, Republican or Democratic conferences - there's an inherent conflict of interest. Senator Flanagan is right that this is not within the jurisdiction of the Senate. The Senate needs a real process that's independent, fair, and that people who report sexual harassment and those accused of it can trust."