Did Congress use a ‘slush fund’ to pay out $17 million?
In November 2017, a meme circulating on social media reported that Congress has been using a “slush fund” to quietly pay out $17 million in settlements to women who had been sexually harassed or abused by lawmakers.
How much money has been paid out in settlements?
According to a report from the Office of Compliance, more than $17 million has been paid out in settlements over a period of 20 years – 1997 to 2017. How many settlements have there been?
How much did Congress pay out in sexual harassment settlements?
The money covers all sorts of settlements, just not for sexual harassment, and some lawmakers cut their own side deals with accusers. Congress paid out $17 million in settlements. Here's why we know so little about that money.
How many settlements did the Office of compliance pay out in 2017?
This meme refers to a report released by Office of Compliance Director Susan Tsui Grundmann in November 2017, which compiled the amount of money that was paid out between 1997 and 2017 to cover 264 settlements in connection with conduct prohibited under the Congress Accountability Act:
How much money was used to pay off sexual harassment?
Frustrated with congressional stonewalling, an ethics watchdog group is going public with its demand that the list of lawmakers tied to $17 million in tax dollars used to pay off sexual harassment claims be released.
Why did Congress pay millions in hush money?
In case you forgot: Congress paid millions in hush money to protect politicians. For all those Democrats and the MSM seeking to use Michael Cohen's plea deal to implicate President Trump in the alleged crime confessed to by Cohen, don't forget to use the precedent set by the highly respected institution we call the Congress of the United States ...
How much money did the Capitol Hill scandal cost?
It has all the makings of a serious scandal: more than $17 million in public money paid since 1997 to settle workplace disputes on Capitol Hill.
Who is the executive director of the Office of Compliance?
Office of Compliance Executive Director Susan Tsui Grundmann said in a letter to the committee that the office only keeps track of settlements paid out of the Treasury account.
Did Farenthold pay back the settlement?
Farenthold denied the allegations. But after the settlement was revealed late last year Farenthold pledged to pay the money back . Last week, spokeswoman Stacey Daniels said that the congressman is now “waiting to see what changes the House makes to the Congressional Accountability Act before repaying the funds.”
How much money has Congress paid for sexual assaults?
Congress has a slush fund, made up of tax dollars, that is used to pay off & silence their alleged sexual assaults and affairs. To date, over 200 million dollars in 200 settlements have been paid since 1998.
Who is the former chairman of the Committee on House Administration?
In November 2017, Gregg Harper, former chairman of the Committee on House Administration, requested that the OOC provide statistics on settlements and awards involving House-led offices, including those relating to sexual harassment.
Did the DC list sexual harassment cases?
TheDC was given the same explanation as to why a separate compilation of settlements and awards involving Senate-led offices did not list any cases of sexual harassment.
How much did the slush fund pay out in 2016?
Unlike a “slush fund” which would be off the books, the fund is a line item and every year its activity can be viewed by the public in Treasury reports — for example money laid out from the fund in Fiscal Year 2016 can be viewed here under “Awards and Settlements, Office of Compliance.” In FY 2016 the fund paid out a total of $491,733.97.
Who paid for John Conyers settlement?
John Conyers (D-Michigan), settlement money was paid by his congressional office budget, not the Treasury fund overseen by OOC.
How does the OOC help victims of sexual harassment?
According to documents provided by Speier’s office, the bill (dubbed “ Me Too ” after a social media campaign in which women and some men shared their stories of assault and abuse) seeks to change the process and help prevent future harassment by making the mandatory counseling and mediation voluntary, giving OOC more investigative power, allowing victims to file complaints anonymously, giving them more time to do so and providing them a central platform they can use. It would also implement sexual harassment training and require any members of Congress who settle a claim to personally reimburse the Treasury fund. OOC would also be required to publish the name of the employing office and amount awarded in settlements.
What is the slush fund?
In November 2017, a meme circulating on social media reported that Congress has been using a “slush fund” to quietly pay out $17 million in settlements to women who had been sexually harassed or abused by lawmakers. Although there is a U.S. Treasury fund devoted to paying settlements, it is not a “slush fund” which implies it is secret ...
How long does it take to file a complaint with the OOC?
(A spokesperson for Speier said the way the system currently works “is obviously created to protect the institution over the victims.”) As it stands, people seeking to file complaints of harassment on Capitol Hill have to wait a minimum of 90 days after filing their initial incident report with OOC, during which time they must receive mandatory counseling and mediation, then wait an additional 30 days in a “cooling off” period.
Who administers the OOC?
The OOC is overseen by the House Administration and Senate Rules committees.
Does the OOC have to publish the name of the employing office?
It would also implement sexual harassment training and require any members of Congress who settle a claim to personally reimburse the Treasury fund. OOC would also be required to publish the name of the employing office and amount awarded in settlements.
What is the CAA fund?
The Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) established a Treasury Department fund “to settle workplace harassment and discrimination claims.” Although this fund has been used to pay out settlements related to sexual harassment, the CAA also applies to “thirteen civil rights, labor, and workplace safety and health laws.”
Why is this bit of congressional trivia “little known”?
Certainly one reason that this bit of congressional trivia is “little known” is because it is factually inaccurate.
Is the settlement of sexual assaults confidential?
Although the details of these payments are typically confidential, outrage over the revelation that congress was using taxpayer funds to pay sexual assault settlements persuaded the House Administration Committee to release more details about the settlements.
Where does the money for settlements come from?
Money for settlements through the OOC is drawn from an account set up within the Treasury Department, per the Accountability Act. The settlements reported each year are not broken down to show how many, or how much, stem from sexual harassment complaints.
Who said 17 million dollars have gone to settling sexual harassment claims against Congress members?
On Facebook, a meme shared nearly 144,000 times quotes Candace Owens, of the conservative group Turning Point USA, as saying, “17 million taxpayer dollars have gone to settling sexual harassment claims against Congress members.” The quote, pulled from Owens’ Sept. 21 tweet, continues: “As they all feign concern over LIAR Christine Ford, Trump should release the names of every congressmen that settled.”
How much did the OOC spend on the sexual harassment case?
The settlement process drew attention in late 2017, when Politico reported the OOC had spent $84,000 to settle a sexual harassment claim against former Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold that was brought by a former spokeswoman. Farenthold, a Republican, stepped down from Congress earlier this year.
What is FactCheck.org?
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on the social media network.
What is the OOC?
The OOC was created to enforce the provisions of the 1995 Congressional Accountability Act — which, in addition to congressional offices, applies to Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office and other legislative agencies. In a fact-sheet last year, the OOC said that “a large portion of cases before the OOC come from employing offices in the legislative branch other than the House of Representatives or the Senate.”
Why was Pat Meehan removed from the Ethics Committee?
The House Ethics Committee removed Rep. Pat Meehan from the panel as it investigates him for sexual harassment .
How much did Marion Brown get paid?
Marion Brown, the former staffer was paid a roughly $27,000 settlement drawn from Conyers’ congressional office budget — not the Office of Congressional Compliance fund set aside for congressional settlements.
What did Everson say about being blacklisted?
Everson said she was “wrongfully terminated,” “blackballed and blacklisted” after the harassment.
How many women have accused Al Franken of sexual misconduct?
Eight women accused former Sen. Al Franken of sexual misconduct before his resignation in January. Franken was the first Congress member accused of sexual misconduct after the #MeToo movement picked up in 2017.
Why did the senator leave the Hill?
The Senator left the Hill January 2 following calls for his resignation and a Senate Ethics Committee investigation.
Did Franks ask for surrogates?
Franks had asked two female staffers to act as surrogates for him and his wife, but it wasn’t clear if the congressman was expecting them to have sexual relations with him. Franks also tried to convince a female aide she was in love with him, according to a former staffer.