Report: Texas Rep. Farenthold Used Taxpayer Dollars to Settle Sexual Harassment Dispute

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, used taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual harassment dispute brought by his former spokeswoman in 2014, Politico reported Friday.The revelations make him the only known sitting member of Congress to use an Office of Compliance account to settle a sexual harassment dispute, according to the news outlet. That Farenthold settled with a former staffer for an undisclosed amount has been previously reported.But on Friday, House Administration Committee Chairman Gregg Harper, R-Miss., told GOP lawmakers in a private meeting that only one House office in the past five years had used the account to settle a sexual harassment complaint, sources told Politico. The settlement reportedly totaled $84,000.Farenthold said he was legally prohibited from commenting on the matter.“While I 100 percent support more transparency with respect to claims against members of Congress, I can neither confirm nor deny that settlement involved my office as the Congressional Accountability Act prohibits me from answering that question,” Farenthold said in a statement Friday.Lauren Greene, his former communications director, sued Farenthold in 2014, accusing him of making sexually suggestive comments to her and telling another staffer in the office that he had sexual fantasies about Greene.She said she was fired in July 2014 after complaining to the congressman about being "bullied" by the office chief of staff.  Continue reading...