Rep. Nancy Mace reveals that Congress disbursed more than $300,000 in taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment claims tied to offices of several former lawmakers. She named six ex-members of Congress in a statement posted on X: Rodney Alexander, John Conyers, Blake Farenthold, Eric Massa, Carolyn McCarthy, and Patrick Meehan. All have since left office.
Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, disclosed results from her subpoena of Congress’s sexual harassment settlement fund. “The results of my subpoena of Congress’s sexual harassment slush fund are in. Nine members. One thousand pages,” she stated. She intends to publish the documents after verifying that personal details of victims and witnesses are redacted.
These revelations follow recent resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales amid behavioral investigations. Both lawmakers deny any misconduct.
Mace has actively pushed for transparency on Capitol Hill regarding sexual harassment and advocates releasing Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein.
Key Settlements by Former Lawmakers’ Offices
The earliest payout, $15,000 in 2007, connects to Rodney Alexander’s office. Alexander, who served from 2003 to 2013, described two unrelated staff incidents. “Nineteen years ago, during my tenure in Congress, there were two separate and unrelated incidents involving the behavior of two staffers in my office. The allegations were referred to the proper authorities and settlement payments were made by the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights,” he explained. “After an immediate investigation, both offending staffers’ employment with my office were terminated immediately. At no time during my tenure in Congress was any allegation made against me.”
Carolyn McCarthy’s office faced two cases in 2009, leading to an $8,000 settlement. The New York Democrat served from 1997 to 2015 and passed away last year.
Eric Massa’s office saw three 2010 payments: $85,000, $20,000, and $10,000. Massa, a New York Democrat, resigned that year during a sexual harassment probe involving a staffer.
John Conyers’ office linked to a $50,000 payment in 2010 and a $27,111.75 severance in 2014. He stepped down in 2017 amid harassment allegations and died in 2019.
Blake Farenthold’s office received an $84,000 payout in 2014. Farenthold, who resigned in 2018 and died last summer, committed to reimbursing the U.S. Treasury for the settlement over harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims, per House Ethics Committee records.
The latest, a $39,250 severance in 2017, ties to Patrick Meehan’s office from two cases. Meehan resigned in 2018 and pledged repayment. “I will pay $39,000.00 to the U.S. Treasury to reimburse for the severance payment that was made from my office account. That payment will be made within 30 days of my resignation from the House of Representatives. I did not want to leave with any question of violating the trust of taxpayers,” he stated.
Broader Context and Policy Changes
These settlements drew from taxpayer dollars until 2018, when Congress banned federal funds for lawmakers’ harassment-related payouts.
In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights detailed 80 awards or settlements from 1996 to 2018 against lawmakers’ offices. “There is sufficient available information in the case files to confirm that 30 of the settlements involved matters where the Member was alleged to have committed the misconduct, or where the Member was specifically alleged to know about the misconduct committed by their subordinate, or both,” the letter noted. “In all 30 of these cases, the Member is a Member of the House of Representatives.”
