Congress voted Wednesday to defeat an effort by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., that would make public all reports of allegations of congressional lawmakers and aides accused of sexual misconduct or harassment.
The House voted 357-65 to move Mace’s resolution to the Ethics Committee.
The Republican and Democratic chairs both spoke out against the resolution, effectively killing Mace’s bill.
"We believe the forced disclosures mandated by House Resolution 1072 could chill victim cooperation and witness participation in ongoing and future investigations," Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss., and Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., said.
"Victims may be retraumatized by public disclosures of interim work product, excerpts of interview transcripts, and certain exhibits," Guest and DeSaulnier added.
"And witnesses, who often only speak to the committee confidentially or on condition of future anonymity, could fear retaliation if their cooperation is made public," Guest and DeSaulnier continued.
"We believe House Resolution 1072 could have a negative impact on the committee’s ability to investigate and eliminate sexual misconduct in the House," they said.
Mace, a sexual assault survivor, was 1 of 4 Republicans who voted to compel the Justice Department to release its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The South Carolina congresswoman said her resolution came after reports that Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, sent sexually explicit messages to a female staffer with whom he was allegedly having an affair.
The staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, later committed suicide by lighting herself on fire.
Mace has called on Gonzales to resign.
Gonzales has denied allegations of an affair.
The House Ethics panel said Wednesday it was launching an investigation into the Texas congressman.
"I would like members of Congress to tell their female colleagues where they stand on sexual harassment within the U.S. House of Representatives," Mace said.
"Do you support women up here, who work up here, and who are your colleagues, or do you not?" Mace added.
Mace blasted her colleagues following the vote.
"Both parties colluded today to protect predators. Today they voted to keep sexual harassment records buried, and they did it together," Mace said. "The establishment always protects itself, never the victims."
"Remember their names when they ask for your vote," Mace added, before listing the name of every representative who voted to table the resolution.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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