FACT Says Public Deserves to Know Truth Behind $17 Million Cover-Up
Washington, D.C.—The non-partisan ethics watchdog group, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), today, called for the immediate release of the names of all Members of Congress who have been connected to the $17 million in taxpayer funds that the Office of Compliance (OOC) has paid out to victims of sexual harassment and other forms of harassment and discrimination over the past 20 years.
While Congress is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), FACT maintains that this is even more reason why releasing this information quickly is important—not only for the purposes of ensuring transparency in government, but to hold public officials accountable for criminal behavior as well as ensuring a safe workplace for employees.
“Sadly, it has just come to light that for years the government spent millions in taxpayer dollars to try and quietly make sexual misconduct by lawmakers go away. That is an egregious affront to all the victims, as well as taxpayers,” said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director, Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT). “We don’t need speeches and public posturing—we need the internal policy to change and immediate transparency. Congressional leaders need to name names and each day that goes by without action is another day more innocent people are put at risk of becoming victims of predatory behavior in the workplace.”
Ms. Arnold, an attorney, was promoted to FACT’s Executive Director back in October after previously serving as the group’s General Counsel. Prior to joining FACT in 2014, she represented clients in private practice in both state and federal court. She also litigated in the areas of civil and criminal cases, as well as appellate cases.
FACT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit: http://www.factdc.org/.