Posted on 03/07/2011 12:19:57 PM PST by smoothsailing
Maarch 7, 2011-News Release
Hastings Allegedly Retaliated Against Victim for Complaining About Conduct
WASHINGTON, March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it filed a lawsuit on March 7, 2011 against Florida Democrat Congressman Alcee Hastings on behalf of a female employee who was repeatedly subjected to "unwelcome sexual advances," "unwelcome touching" and retaliation. The alleged harassment and retaliation began in 2008, when Hastings was Chairman of the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Commission is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Also named is the Commission's former staff director, Fred Turner. Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit on behalf of Commission employee Winsome Packer (Packer v. US Comm. On Security & Cooperation in Europe, and Hastings and Turner (CV No. 11-00485 D.D.C.)).
According to Judicial Watch's lawsuit, filed on Monday, March 7th with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia:
For over two years, from January 2008 through February 19, 2010, Ms. Packer was forced to endure unwelcome sexual advances, crude sexual comments, and unwelcome touching by Mr. Hastings while serving as the Representative of the Commission to the United States Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Although Ms. Packer repeatedly rejected Mr. Hastings' sexual attention and repeatedly complained about the harassment to the Commission Staff Director, Fred Turner, Mr. Hastings refused to stop sexually harassing her. Rather, Mr. Hastings and Mr. Turner began to retaliate against Ms. Packer—including making threats of termination—because she continued to object to Mr. Hastings' conduct.
Ms. Packer was particularly vulnerable to such threats because she was a Republican working for the Democratically-controlled Commission, a point that both Mr. Hastings and Mr. Turner used to threaten and intimidate her. Eventually, the emotional distress, anxiety, and humiliation caused by the sexual harassment and retaliation caused Ms. Packer to suffer severe health problems and forced her to leave her prestigious position.
According to Judicial Watch's complaint, "Mr. Hastings' intention was crystal clear: he was sexually attracted to Ms. Packer, wanted a sexual relationship with her, and would help progress her career if she acquiesced to his sexual advances." These advances included: Making multiple demands that Ms. Packer allow Rep. Hastings to stay in her apartment while she served as the Commission's lead staff representative overseas; subjecting Ms. Packer to unwanted physical contact, including hugging her with both arms while pressing his body against her body and his face against her face; inviting her on multiple occasions to accompany him alone to his hotel room; making sexual comments and references to Ms. Packer, and asking Ms. Packer humiliating and inappropriate questions in public, such as "What kind of underwear are you wearing?"
After Ms. Packer repeatedly rebuffed these advances and reported them to her superior, Mr. Turner, and other officials (including Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)), Hastings allegedly scolded her for not being a "sport" and for rejecting him after he had "come to [her] as a man does a woman." He said he was very upset she had reported his behavior to Mr. Turner: "How dare you complain about me! You had better forget about being Republican." Moreover, Hastings and Turner then allegedly took retaliatory actions against Ms. Packer by repeatedly threatening her job at the Commission, by refusing to allow her to return from overseas to her position as Policy Advisor in Washington, D.C., and by intentionally marginalizing her from her colleagues. Hastings also pressured Ms. Packer to buy him personal gifts and make a campaign contribution to him.
As a direct result of Mr. Hastings' sexual harassment, Ms. Packer experienced insomnia, anxiety, depression, high-blood pressure, and developed symptoms of coronary artery disease. At one point, these symptoms were so severe Ms. Packer collapsed and was rushed to the emergency room. Ms. Packer has been prescribed medication and is under the care of a physician because of the severity of her heart problems.
"The allegations against Alcee Hastings as detailed in this complaint are outrageous. Is Congress so far gone that its members think they can get away with the most base sexual harassment of staff! For two years Hastings subjected Ms. Packer to a never-ending barrage of unwanted sexual advances. And when Ms. Packer tried, time and again, to put a stop to it, he resorted to threats and intimidation to force her compliance. Even after Hastings' behavior caused Ms. Packer's physical collapse, he would not relent. We look forward to holding Alcee Hastings and the other defendants accountable for their unlawful behavior in court," stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Hastings, a former federal judge, was impeached by the House and, after a trial, removed by the U.S. Senate from the bench in 1989 for bribery and perjury.
Visit www.judicialwatch.org to view Judicial Watch's lawsuit against Alcee Hastings.
Hey now, the idiots in that district did, not Florida as a whole. It's the same mental midgets that voted Marion Barry as mayor after his felony drug convictions, and the same mental midgets who voted Ray Nagin back as mayor of New Orleans after his screw ups. Basically, the idiot democratic voters.
Now up here in the Florida Panhandle, democrats are far and few between.
I wonder what the Feminists will have to say about this?
We had the same deal here in Indiana with Julia Carson.
She was functionally illiterate, and in her last few years nearly comatose. Yet she kept getting re-elected to Congress from a mostly minority district.
The upside of this is that it is done via Republican gerrymandering making the surrounding districts almost rat-proof. The downside is that you get these whacko rats locked in districts long term with mega seniority, so when rats control congress you get committee chairs like Waxman and Pelosi.
Can’t we just take all the people who want to touch other people without permission, have them sign a waver and put them together in a room?
Are there any with ethics and honor left to serve? Frankly I include both Parties in that statement.
The longer they are there the more entitled they become, not only to our money and perks but also to their staff. This should become a criminal matter not something where the cronies get to decide.
And when this involves a big shot and someone else says to the victim grin and bear it, that person needs charged as an accessory too. That also includes cases of rape in the military.
I wonder what the Feminists will have to say about this?
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They only seem to speak out when the accused harasser is a conservative Republican or cleryman.
Liberal-Progressive Democrats get a pass.....and even admiration as in the case of BJ Clinton.
Recall Nina Burleigh’s comment?
In an interview with the Washington Post, Burleigh said, “I’d be happy to give him (President Bill Clinton) a blowjob just to thank him for keeping abortion legal”[4] (similarly, she said “American women should be lining up with their kneepads for Clinton after the way he kept theocracy away from them”).[5] Burleigh also stated she had interviewed several women, including Paula Jones and Gennifer Flowers, who had alleged having had willing or unwilling relationships with Clinton, and she believed that many of his alleged “victims” were probably quite willing and in some cases, even initiators.[citation needed] She also said that she didn’t think the middle-aged, male beltway gang, at the time calling for Clinton’s head over sexual misconduct, actually had the credentials or personal experience to know sexual harassment when they saw it.[6] Burleigh has continued to criticize conservatives and praise liberals in numerous political blogs and essays, such as her February 2000 essay on Hillary Clinton:[7]
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Burleigh
I seriously think there is not a member of the Congressional Black Caucus that isn't a crook.
Why you gots to be disresption’ on his peoples? ;)
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