OPINION | Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those held by Sarah Palin.
A new report released on Wednesday revealed that sexual harassment claims were grossly mishandled by the Department of Justice under the Obama administration, according to Fox News.
The Washington post first reported that the Justice Department’s inspector general discovered “systemic issues” with the way complaints were dealt with. Oftentimes, offenders walked away scot-free and on some occasions, were even seemingly-rewarded for the complaints.
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Ian Prior, a spokesman in the Trump Justice Department, would not comment in detail about the allegations but described the problems as largely occurring during the prior administration.
“The Department does not discuss specific employee disciplinary actions or comment on personnel actions or matters that may impact personal privacy. That said, the Department was very disappointed with the issues that occurred in the Obama administration and strives for a workplace free of harassment and other misconduct for all of our 115,000 employees,” he said in a statement. “That is why the Civil Division has implemented additional safeguards and systems to ensure that all misconduct allegations are handled appropriately going forward.”
He said a “working group” has also been convened to look at the issues raised and will soon have recommendations.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who’s been at his post since 2012, released a memo to the Justice Department earlier this year to alert department employees of “systemic issues.”
Here’s more:
The Post reported that the IG found one top attorney in the Office of Immigration Litigation, Victor Lawrence, “groped the breasts and buttocks of two female trial attorneys” at a happy hour.
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He reportedly got a reprimand, a title change and “relief from supervisory duties” but was not suspended and did not receive a loss in pay or grade. There reportedly was a concern that a suspension would “deprive the government” of his services.
One woman, who was not identified, told the Post she was “terrified” to get in an elevator out of concern he’d be there.
Several attorneys in the civil division reportedly got performance awards after the complaints. A female attorney, not identified by the Post, said, “They got free passes.”
Another case involved a woman, former Oregon prosecutor Amanda Marshall, accused of sending harassing texts and emails to a subordinate after an “intimate” relationship ended. She later resigned and apologized, reportedly calling the relationship “wrong” and a “mistake.”
More allegations reportedly surfaced over the summer, nevertheless it’s unclear when exactly those incidents occurred and under which administration.