By Zachary Gorchow
President of Michigan Operations
Posted: January 22, 2020 3:57 PM

How much has changed in the Capitol community in the past two years when it comes to how legislators, officials, lobbyists and the news media handle allegations by women involving male legislators who made sexually inappropriate remarks toward them?

In the past week, a reporter for the Michigan Advance, Allison Donahue, and Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) have accused Sen. Peter Lucido (R-Shelby Township) of making remarks of a sexual nature toward them. Ms. McMorrow said Mr. Lucido also put his hand on her back and hip during a conversation when the two were in new senator orientation after the 2018 election.

It's getting heavy news coverage and dominating the conversation around the Capitol. As it should.

Some of the coverage makes it sound like it's the first time a member of the Michigan Legislature was accused of sexual misconduct since the #metoo movement exploded in late 2017 with many powerful men in most major sectors of public life toppled as women came forward with stories of sexual assault, sexual harassment and other misconduct.

In fact, it's not.

Two years ago, Gongwer News Service published a report looking at the culture of sexually charged comments in and around the Capitol by men.

The report included allegations by a former House member, Sarah Roberts, that a then-senator, David Knezek, had made sexually inappropriate comments to her. Now-U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) said Mr. Knezek also had made an inappropriate remark to her when the two were in the House, and she named former Rep. Paul Clemente as having made a sexually inappropriate remark to her as well. The report also revealed for the first time that Ms. Roberts had accused a then-House member, now-Sen. Jon Bumstead (R-Newaygo), of making inappropriate remarks to her.

Mr. Bumstead and Mr. Knezek strongly denied the allegations.

And then the story just kind of died. There was no similar media frenzy like the reaction to the Lucido allegations.

Indeed, Mr. Bumstead managed to run for and win a competitive Republican primary and very competitive general election for his Senate seat without having anyone raise the issue against him.

Mr. Knezek lost his race for reelection in a stunning primary upset though the result by all indications had nothing to do with the allegations Ms. Roberts and Ms. Tlaib lodged against him, which never surfaced in the race. He currently heads up legislative relations for Attorney General Dana Nessel.

I've pondered why that story didn't prompt the type of response that seems to be building now to the Lucido situation.

Was it because Ms. Roberts was no longer in the Legislature and couldn't command the same attention Ms. McMorrow can as a sitting senator?

Was it because the story included a Democrat and a Republican and thus it was to the advantage of both sides to stay quiet and wait for it to fade?

Was it because our story was behind a paywall and didn't see the kind of circulation on social media that has occurred with the Lucido stories?

Was it because Mr. Knezek was a popular figure and a rising star with whom Democrats clearly sided over Ms. Roberts? When Mr. Knezek lost, many Democrats – men and women – mourned. Plenty of people clearly sided with Mr. Knezek and thought Ms. Roberts' and Ms. Tlaib's claims were a crock, that the claims were totally at odds with their interactions with Mr. Knezek.

Was it because Mr. Bumstead was not in the Legislature at the time and was a little-known figure from Newaygo? Mr. Lucido is front-and-center on key committees, represents a key swath of the Detroit media market and has cultivated media coverage. He's teased the idea of running for Congress and governor. He's about as visible as it gets among the 148 members of the Legislature outside of the speaker and Senate majority leader.

Given the events of the past week, we're republishing the story from two years ago. It's below. With no paywall.

It was originally published exactly two years ago today – Monday, January 22, 2018. It was written by Alethia Kasben.

Women Face Sexually Charged Comments At Capitol

Women working in and around the Capitol say men often make sexually inappropriate statements to them as part of a culture in the Legislature that has long allowed for such misconduct to fester.

That culture revolves around working long hours, having mostly men as elected officials, and parties and dinners with plenty of drinking, several women told Gongwer News Service both on and off the record. While women detailed inappropriate comments, there were no allegations of sexual assault.

In recent months, sexual misconduct accusations have rocked several industries, including Hollywood, the national media and state and federal governments. In other state legislatures and Congress, officials have resigned over the accusations, including U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Detroit), though Michigan's Capitol has gone unscathed.

Nonetheless, the Michigan Legislature still has a history of men making sexual or sexist comments toward women working and serving in state government roles. In 1994, then-Rep. Maxine Berman wrote her book, "The Only Boobs in the House Are Men," which detailed her experiences in the male-dominated Legislature. This is the Capitol where, in the 1990s, while a female college newspaper reporter interviewed two state senators about a bill to ban topless dancing, one referred to it as a "titty bill" and the other held out the lapels of his sports coat to impersonate a woman's breasts.

In the course of reporting this story, two female former House members named one current and two former male legislators as having made sexually inappropriate comments toward them. Two of the men denied the allegations and the third did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Former Rep. Sarah Roberts, a Democrat, who served in the House from 2009-10 and 2013-16, posted on Facebook in October as the "me too" campaign took hold among women who had been sexually harassed or assaulted that she complained to the House Business Office about one Republican legislator and wished she had done the same against a Democratic legislator.

In an interview with Gongwer, Ms. Roberts did not name the Republican representative about which she complained in 2016 to the House Business Office or detail the comments he made, as she said it was unclear if she could do so after complaining to the office. She said the representative is no longer in office. Ms. Roberts said the former legislator made several inappropriate comments over a period of several months, culminating with his putting an arm around her. She felt it was inappropriate, so she complained, Ms. Roberts said.

"I did file a complaint against a representative where I just felt the things he was saying to me, although not overtly sexual, were implying certain things," she said. "It was really inappropriate."

Gongwer subsequently confirmed that the lawmaker was former Rep. Jon Bumstead, a Republican of Newaygo, who is now running for Senate and is facing Rep. Holly Hughes (R-White River Township) in the August primary in the 34th Senate District.

Mr. Bumstead, reached Monday by Gongwer, denied the accusations. He said he and Ms. Roberts worked together on an Appropriations Subcommittee and "she was a very good vice chair."

"I don't know what she would be talking about," Mr. Bumstead said. "It is a serious claim, but it is almost laughable because it didn't happen."

House and Senate employees, including lawmakers, can file formal and informal complaints to their respective business offices and direct supervisors. Ms. Roberts' complaint appeared to fall in the informal category. The House Business Office has said the only recent formal complaint involved former Rep. Brian Banks.

At the time in question, Ms. Roberts said someone in whom she confided about the incident asked her if she wanted to be taken off the committee on which she served with that representative after she made the complaint.

"Why should I have to give up my responsibility and my position because of someone else's behavior?" she said. "I think that is something that happens with staff. They just get moved somewhere else."

Ms. Roberts told Gongwer that during a late House session debating Detroit Public Schools legislation in 2016, she was sitting on the back benches in the chamber talking to Sen. David Knezek (D-Dearborn Heights) about how she was tired and didn't know what to say during her speech.

She said Mr. Knezek told her, "just give them the Sarah Roberts fight," and then looked down between his legs and said, "I am not going to be able to get up for a while," implying he had an erection. Ms. Roberts said she looked at him and said, "Stop." She said he responded, "No, I really mean it." She said she then got up and walked away from the senator.

Ms. Roberts said the comment didn't affect her speech that night, and since Mr. Knezek was in the Senate, she didn't have to work with him often at the time.

"It's just so disappointing," she said. "On top of everything else, being in the minority, all the tough things we have to deal with. It's just so common for mostly men to say really inappropriate things. And a lot of those inappropriate things have innuendo or are overtly sexual."

Gongwer spoke with one source who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation who confirmed that Ms. Roberts told them a legislator made those comments to her in June 2016 after a late session night. This person said at the time Ms. Roberts did not name the individual, but did reveal the individual's identity in December 2017.

Former Rep. Rashida Tlaib, also a Democrat who served in the House from 2009-14, said Ms. Roberts told her the story of what Mr. Knezek said after it happened and the two had a conversation about the comment. Ms. Tlaib and Ms. Roberts were seatmates on the House floor and they remain friends.

Ms. Tlaib said during a meeting at the AFT Michigan offices in Detroit in late August or early September of 2012, Mr. Knezek said to her: "You know they call you MILF?"

That's an acronym for "Mother I'd Like to" have sex with, using an explicit four-letter word. Ms. Tlaib said at the time she didn't know what that meant, and Ms. Roberts, whom Ms. Tlaib said was there, had to tell her. Ms. Tlaib also remembers googling the acronym, which she said is one of the reasons why the comment stood out to her.

Ms. Roberts said she did not remember Mr. Knezek making the comment. Another source, speaking on condition of anonymity, attended the meeting and confirmed Mr. Knezek, Ms. Tlaib and Ms. Roberts were there.

"This is a professional relationship," Ms. Tlaib said of what she thought after Mr. Knezek made the comment. "This person is already sexualizing this relationship."

When Ms. Tlaib first recalled the story to Gongwer, she said that 2012 meeting was the first time she had met Mr. Knezek. Later, Ms. Tlaib said she had actually met Mr. Knezek previously.

"I continued to work with him and be friends, and it seemed fine after that," Ms. Tlaib said. "He ended up dating a friend of mine."

Mr. Knezek and Ms. Tlaib are both considering running for Mr. Conyers' former seat. Gongwer contacted Ms. Tlaib about her experiences with sexual harassment at the Capitol prior to the Conyers story breaking, and she mentioned what she said happened with Mr. Knezek. Gongwer contacted Ms. Roberts before the Conyers story erupted, and she spoke to Gongwer on December 1. Both Ms. Tlaib and Ms. Roberts participated in several follow-up interviews.

Josh Pugh, Mr. Knezek's spokesperson, said Mr. Knezek had no comment "on these ridiculous and baseless allegations."

Angela Vasquez-Giroux, a Democratic consultant and former spokesperson for the Senate Democrats, said she worked closely with Mr. Knezek during her time in the Senate, and he was professional, appropriate and supportive.

"He was a powerful professional ally and sought out ways to be supportive of women, both legislatively and as a colleague," she said.

For Ms. Tlaib, the incident she remembers as being the most egregious for her came in 2011 when she was breastfeeding her son on the House floor. Ms. Tlaib said then-Rep. Paul Clemente, a Democrat who served in the House from 2011-16, came to talk to her about a line item in the budget. Ms. Tlaib was on the House Appropriations Committee.

Ms. Tlaib recalled that Mr. Clemente was talking and then noticed she was breastfeeding her son. "When he is done, can I have a turn?" Ms. Tlaib said Mr. Clemente said to her.

Mr. Clemente did not return several requests for comment from Gongwer.

Ms. Tlaib said when she was finished feeding her son she went to Mr. Clemente and told him the comment was extremely inappropriate. She said he apologized sincerely and then kept his distance afterward.

"It wasn't a consistent thing," she said of both men.

Ms. Tlaib said early on in her career - she worked on the staff of former House Majority Floor Leader Steve Tobocman - she stopped going to events with drinking after an intoxicated member of the House, who has since died, came up behind her and touched her rear-end. Gongwer is not naming the then member of the House because he is deceased.

"I drew a line. I stopped going out," she said. "If anyone knows me in Lansing, they will tell you, I didn't go to the events where there was heavy drinking. … Those events are where I started hearing about things happening to my colleagues."

Sen. Margaret O'Brien (R-Portage) said there is an over-familiarity among colleagues in the Legislature that can lead to members and staff being thoughtless with what they say.

"We are in a very unique work environment, but we have to remember, we are in a work environment," she said.

Ms. O'Brien said she has dealt with comments she felt were inappropriate, but declined to detail them to Gongwer. She said she handled those situations individually with the people who said them.

Ms. O'Brien said while she thinks the workplace environment for her as a woman in the Legislature has improved, it is difficult to know what it is like for staff.

"Staff is very hesitant to discuss the issue because they feel vulnerable," she said. "They don't wish to become quote unquote part of the problem. Staff are definitely at a disadvantage."

Ms. O'Brien did not detail what she had heard regarding sexual misconduct toward staff, but said through informal conversations, she has discovered staff do not report sexual misconduct and they usually keep it to themselves.

"From a staff perspective there is probably more that can be done," she said. "It is the employees that don't all feel they truly have a path to deal with this."

One former legislative staffer speaking anonymously said inappropriate comments are commonly made toward female staffers from lawmakers. This person said often a staffer would be moved from an office if there's an incident, and many believe a lawmaker will not face any consequences for the behavior, so they don't report it.

Additionally, this person said staff members do not feel comfortable going to supervisors or even the business offices because they all work at the pleasure of legislative leadership, and staff feel they can't really do anything.

Ms. Roberts said sexual misconduct is a very real and very prevalent problem in Lansing.

"I show up to work. I don't want to have to deal with these types of comments," she said.

Ms. Roberts, to illustrate how routine sexualized comments were, recalled walking into a conversation between a group of lawmakers (editor's note: this story has been changed to clarify the context of the remarks).

A female lawmaker said, "Well, I'm easy." A male colleague responded, "Oh, we've heard."

"Sexual harassment in some ways is not complicated," she said. "It can be innuendo. It can be how they are saying it. …. But it doesn't have to be obviously sexual."

Ms. Roberts said often in the Legislature men say it was just a joke, or that the person who feels offended didn't take it the comment the right way.

"It is like enough. We don't want to deal with this. We want to show up for work. Do our jobs and be professional," she said.

Ms. Roberts said she wishes she had gone public while serving in the Legislature about her experiences. At one time, she said, she tried to get other representatives and staffers to go public with her, but they were afraid.

"But what is really positive is women who were perhaps more afraid now feel supported and empowered to talk about it. And we need more of this to happen," she said.

Not all women have had the same experience in the Capitol, though. Former Rep. Nancy Jenkins, a Republican, said she felt former House Speaker Jase Bolger and Republican leadership after the 2010 election did a good job of including women in leadership positions.

She said she looked at her male colleagues as family, and they looked out for her and other members.

"Every now and then, something would pop up," she said. "An off-color joke or something. I remember one that was told, a person apologized immediately after." She did not detail the joke.

Ms. Jenkins said she had a good experience in the House, and while she heard rumors and other stories of inappropriate behavior, she did not experience it.

Ms. Jenkins said as more stories of sexual misconduct are becoming public, it should be better defined.

"Some people would call it harassment, and other people wouldn't see it that way," she said of comments one might feel is a joke while someone else is made to feel uncomfortable. "How do you bring somebody to justice, or hold someone accountable, for what someone else feels?"

Deb Shaughnessy, a Republican who has been a legislative staffer, served in the House during the 2011-12 term and later worked as a lobbyist, said she has experienced inappropriate comments, one from former Sen. David Jaye who was expelled in 2001 for incidents involving his then fiancee and law enforcement, and knows other women who have as well.

"It occurs more than what anybody knows," she said. "And it goes back to the culture; if you say something, you could be labeled a troublemaker. And people don't like that."

Mr. Jaye could not be located for comment.

Ms. Shaughnessy said the culture in Lansing coddles and caters to elected members. She said there has to be a balance.

"You need to respect the legislator for the position they are in, but there is a line," she said. "I believe a legislator should have higher standards to live by. Especially for the young men and women who are working there. They deserve to have bosses who are I believe are above reproach."

She said currently there is a great opportunity for victims of sexual harassment to tell their stories and change the culture.

"Men and women need to be brave and know it is not right and they need to speak up," she said. "They shouldn't be afraid of the repercussions. They do need to be courageous and think about the next victim."

Ms. Roberts agreed.

"I just want to be really clear … on how important it is for any woman, regardless of where they are at professionally, if they have experienced a similar type of situation, whether it was from a senator, representative, staffer, their boss, they really need to come forward," she said. "This culture is not going to change unless we start talking about it very honestly and very openly. There just needs to be zero tolerance for it."