Rep. Nancy Mace Releases Names From Congressional Sexual Misconduct Settlements

For Conyers, a $50,000 payment was made in 2010 over allegations he made advances on a staffer. Four years later, another case involving hostile workplace, sexual harassment, age discrimination and reprisal resulted in a $27,111.75 payout. Meehan had two cases involving alleged sexual harassment, with a severance pay period listed at $39,250.

Meehan confirmed to ABC News that he repaid the full settlement amount within 30 days of leaving Congress. Alexander faced an allegation tied to a consensual sexual relationship with a staffer prior to her employment that resulted in mistreatment and firing.

The payout was listed at $15,000. Alexander stated that the settlement was the result of the behavior of two staffers in his office, both of whom were terminated immediately after an investigation. He said no allegation was made against him personally.

Three cases involving former Rep. Eric Massa, D-N.Y., resulted in settlements totaling $115,000. An attorney for Massa said in 2017 that the former congressman had no knowledge of the payments. Former Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, was linked to an $84,000 settlement from a 2014 complaint.

Farenthold said in 2018 he had no intention of repaying it. He resigned in 2018 and died last year.

The records for nine cases were provided to Mace and the House Oversight Committee on Monday as an initial production in response to a subpoena. A letter signed by John N. Ohlweiler, general counsel at the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, and sent to the committee on April 24 presented statistical information on cases from Jan.

1, 1996, through Dec. 12, 2018. The letter states that the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights approved a total of 349 awards or settlements to resolve complaints against legislative branch offices. Of those, 80 were settled by the office of a member of the House of Representatives or the office of a senator.

The letter explained the office's process for identifying cases involving allegations of member misconduct, particularly sexual misconduct or sexual harassment, that resulted in awards or settlements. Ohlweiler's letter noted that the Congressional Accountability Act Reform Act of 2018 requires the office to maintain a program for permanent retention of records.

The office's current policy calls for digital preservation of records from all filed cases. A source familiar with the document production confirmed that the names listed by Mace appear in the records provided.