Congress Buries Sexual Harassment Records: Vote to Protect Predators Revealed

A House effort to compel the release of congressional sexual misconduct and harassment records failed Friday, as a majority of lawmakers voted to maintain the confidentiality of investigations and settlements. The vote came after Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, forced a floor vote on a resolution that would have required the House Ethics Committee to publicly disclose records of such investigations, redacting only personally identifying information of victims and witnesses.

The resolution, defeated by a vote of 357-65, followed recent public disclosure of sexually explicit text messages sent by Representative Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, to a staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, who later died. Mace had called for Gonzales’ resignation, but emphasized the broader issue of a system that shields lawmakers from accountability. “This was never really about him,” Mace stated, according to Newsweek. “We see about a young woman who is now dead.”

Opponents of the resolution argued that releasing the records could re-traumatize victims and potentially violate privacy protections. However, Mace countered that her proposal explicitly protected victim and witness identities. “They were not protecting victims,” she said. “They were protecting themselves and their colleagues. They protected the predators.”

The vote demonstrated a rare bipartisan consensus in favor of maintaining the status quo. According to NBC News, both Republicans and Democrats voted to preserve the records sealed. The House Ethics Committee, chaired by Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi, had previously opposed the effort to release the records, as reported by Axios.

Following the defeat of the resolution, the House Oversight Committee, according to Mace, passed a motion to subpoena the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, demanding the release of all taxpayer-funded misconduct settlements paid on behalf of members of Congress. This move aims to identify lawmakers who have used public funds to silence individuals alleging harassment or misconduct.

Mace vowed to continue pursuing the issue, stating, “We will not let this go. And neither should you.” She also challenged members who voted against the resolution to reconsider their stance on issues related to sexual misconduct, particularly in light of cases like that of Jeffrey Epstein. “You do not get to bury your colleague’s sexual harassment records and then say you care about the Epstein victims,” she said, as reported by The Hill.