Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida is facing an ethics probe for allegations that he sexually harassed a female staff member.
The investigation is being conducted by the Office of congressional Ethics on behalf of Winsome Packer, a policy maker for the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, CSCE.
Packer has alleged for two years, Hastings, who served as co-chairman for CSCE, repeatedly subjected her to unwanted sexual advances along with sexual comments and touching. Packer also alleges that she faced retaliation for reporting the abuse. She also accused him of forcing her to give him gifts and contribute to his re-election campaign.
Hastings is vehemently denying Packer’s accusations and has retained a lawyer. In the past Hastings was accused of taking bribes as a judge in Florida, but an ethics committee found him not guilty.
Sex scandals seem to be par for the course in the political realm these days. We often recognize there is a connection between power and sex. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 41 percent of women are sexually harassed by a superior or supervisor at work. Sexual harassment attorneys can file a lawsuit on behalf of these women to end the harassment.
Even though it is illegal close to 31 percent of women have been sexually harassed on the job or in college. A sexual harassment lawyer can protect these victims from further harassment and retaliation. Training and education can prevent some of these incidents, but sexual harassment attorneys will still be necessary to protect workers.
