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Texas senators were silent on Friday in the face of fresh allegations of sexual harassment revealed in in a Texas Monthly investigation.
The reporting focuses on the culture in the upper chamber in the post #MeToo era, examining how rules meant to protect people from sexual harassment go unenforced.
Notably, the story cited an interview from an unnamed University of Texas at Austin student, who in 2018 complained that state Rep. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, sent her inappropriate texts through an encrypted messenger app, including a photo of his penis he called “proof of life.”
Schwertner told investigators at the time that someone had used his phone and he did not send the photos. A University of Texas investigation did not clear him of wrongdoing but could not definitively prove that he sent the message from his own phone.
Schwertner, who was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk last year, has been restored to good standing in the Senate where he chairs a committee and is a close ally of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
“It was just frustrating because all these people are saying he’s such a good guy, he’s a family man,” the woman told Texas Monthly. “There’s data evidence and there’s time stamps and there’s IP addresses” on the messages. “How is this still happening?”
The story also reports a new allegation from an unnamed Senate staffer who said Schwertner followed her to a break room, hugged her and grabbed her butt. The staffer said he also asked her to connect with him on an encrypted messenger app.
Schwertner and his office did not respond to requests for comment.
The article surfaces a new allegation against Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, who was previously charged in an incident where he pulled a gun at a party where he allegedly kissed a woman against her will. He was acquitted, but sued by the woman, resulting in a settlement.
Tayhlor Coleman, a Houston-based political consultant, said Miles touched her inappropriately when they greeted each other at a party in 2016.
“He specifically grabbed me in for a hug, slid his hand down, and palmed my butt,” she told the magazine.
Miles and his office did not respond to a request for comment.
In a statement to the Tribune, Patrick, who serves as the president of the Senate, pushed back against characterizations within the Texas Monthly story that the Senate workplace culture and policies allow sexual harassment to continue with little protections for victims.
“Texas Monthly has falsely maligned me and the nearly 75 different senators I have proudly served with as a Senator and as lieutenant governor. The members and I take this issue very seriously,” Patrick said. “Harassment of any type is not tolerated on my own staff. Each of my staff, including myself, has taken sexual harassment prevention training, as have Senators and their staffs.”
The office of Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, did not respond to requests for comment. Kolkhorst oversaw changes to the Senate’s sexual harassment policy following a round of accusations about Texas lawmakers in 2017.
“The Senate’s policy is robust and offers multiple avenues for victims to report sexual harassment without fear of retaliation while providing a fair and just process for those accused,” Patrick said.
The story also takes aim at Thomas Larralde, former chief of staff for Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, who sent several drunk texts to a Senate intern. He was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, and later fired.
In response to the story, state Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos, D-Richardson, posted the sign-up form to a self-defense class.
House Speaker Dade Phelan sent a letter to House members and staff advising them of the efforts the House has taken in recent years to combat sexual misconduct within the building.
“The persistence of sexual harassment in the Texas Capitol has been an enduring stain, perpetuated by a culture of silence and complicity,” Phelan wrote.
He also noted that he recently directed the House Business Office to hire a designated human resources specialist before the next Legislature to provide support to offices and employees.
“While no solution is perfect, the House’s proactive measures continue to transform our workplace into a safer and more respectful environment that allows us to all better serve Texans,” Phelan wrote.
The House put its General Investigating Committee to the test last year for its first time since its inception following the #MeToo movement. The committee investigated former state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, for accusations that he got a staffer who was under 21 drunk and slept with her. The committee’s findings led the House to vote to expel Slaton, and the body received high praise for its handling of the matter.
In a statement to the Austin American-Statesman, Patrick also said “the Senate does not like” the House’s model, saying, “it leaves too much room for politics.”
Disclosure: Texas Monthly and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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