Kentucky Democrats are calling for a former speaker of the House and another Republican lawmaker to leave their posts. The comments come as new details of the sexual misconduct allegations against them emerged Wednesday.
Revelations about the $110,000 sexual harassment settlement toppled Rep. Jeff Hoover’s speakership in 2018, but the deal also prevented the former staffer at the center of the case from speaking publicly about the matter.
Now a new Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting piece shines more light on her allegations – pointing to harassment dating back to when she began working as a policy analyst for the House Republican caucus in 2015. They include "groping," “nearly daily touching,” and "aggressive and possessive behavior."
"The allegations that were released this morning are horrifying," says Kentucky Democratic Party spokesperson Marisa McNee. "They go way beyond what was previously described as 'inappropriate behavior.' That's not the case. This is screaming at a woman in hallways, grabbing, touching, things that border on, in my opinion, assault."
Hoover has repeatedly claimed he exchanged inappropriate text message, but did not engage in sexual contact with any staffers.
A statement from the the Republican Party of Kentucky said the problem of sexual harassment in Frankfort is “not partisan” but “cultural," noting that Speaker David Osborne and his team have been working hard to resolve the issue by "changing procedures to help report and prevent future problems."
WUKY contacted Hoover’s office, but did not receive a response.
