Rep. Scotty Campbell, a member of GOP leadership in the Tennessee House of Representatives who recently voted to expel three Democrats who engaged in a gun violence protest on the House floor, has resigned from his congressional seat after being found guilty of sexually harassing interns y an ethics subcommittee acting in secret, NewsChannel 5 reports.
Until now, Campbell had suffered no previous consequences as a result of his actions despite accusations of sometimes extremely vulgar comments and other inappropriate advances.
According to NewsChannel 5, “potentially thousands of dollars have been spent to protect one victim, relocating her from the downtown apartment building where she and Campbell both had apartments, shipping her furniture back home in another part of the state and placing her in a downtown hotel for the remainder of her internship.”
Confronted with the allegations Thursday as he headed to Capitol Hill, Campbell claimed his behavior was “consensual.”
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“I had consensual, adult conversations with two adults off property,” he insisted.
“I think conversations are consensual once that is verbally agreed to. If I choose to talk to any intern in the future, it will be recorded.”
But a four-member ethics subcommittee, composed of two Republicans and two Democrats, came to a different conclusion, according to a memorandum dated March 29 that was sent to House Speaker Cameron Sexton.
“Based on the completed staff investigation, the Ethics Subcommittee finds that Representative Campbell violated the Policy” against workplace discrimination and harassment, the memo says.
Asked what he meant by “consensual adult conversations,” Campbell declined to say.
“Private conversations are supposed to be private,” he insisted.
According to the victim’s email to university officials, she was “informed that Rep. Campbell admitted fully to his guilt.”
Tennessee lawmakers have faced repeated criticisms over the years for what some see as a lax approach to sexual harassment and discrimination.
