Transparency is needed concerning taxpayer money being spent to help members of Congress settle cases with people in cases of sexual harassment, Rep. Ron DeSantis said Monday, while explaining a bill he has proposed on the topic.
"We know there has been money paid out," the Florida Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "We don't know for why or what members or staffers were offenders and we have to know that. I think the transparency part is very important. I think going forward if a member is committing harassment against somebody or a staffer is committing harassment against somebody there is no way that the taxpayers of America should be funding that."
In the case of Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, a staff worker was paid from office funds after she'd accused the veteran lawmaker of harassing her, and DeSantis said there have been other past settlements that have been paid with government funds.
"I think the members need to be forced to reimburse for those expenses," DeSantis said.
The payments come after a system that was set up in 1995 to protect harassers, he continued, does not serve the interests of those who were harmed.
"I mean, Conyers, for example, allegedly fired a staff member because she would not succumb to his sexual advances," said DeSantis. "That's a major example of abuse of power and harassment. And so somebody who is the victim there, if they are going in a process that effectively revictimized them is unacceptable."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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