| Dear Katy, Like Hollywood, Washington, D.C. is filled with men in powerful positions who for decades have gotten away with sexual misconduct, harassment, and even assault. Congress has a broken system of reporting that seems designed to punish survivors and let perpetrators off the hook.1 Members of Congress have a responsibility not only to fix this broken system, but to ensure that colleagues, staffers and any member of the executive branch over whom they have oversight are held accountable for gender discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual assault. That includes Donald Trump, who was caught on tape bragging about sexual assault and who has been accused of sexual misconduct by 16 women.2 When Congress has a real commitment to solving a problem, it can create an independent, bipartisan commission to do the work. We need to demand that Democratic leaders push for systemic change and put massive pressure on Trump's Republican apologists to follow their lead. Tell congressional leaders: Create an independent bipartisan commission to investigate sexual harassment and assault by federal officials, including Donald Trump. Click here to sign the petition. For the last several months, women all over the country have been taking the risk to publicly share their stories of sexual abuse and harassment, and to hold perpetrators, and their enablers, accountable. Their courage has sparked what could lead to a radical shift in how we, as a society, collectively respond to and fight back against systemic misogyny, patriarchy and gender inequality. Congress is now facing its own reckoning. Congresswomen are publicly talking about the harassment and abuse they have endured in their years working on Capitol Hill. Rep. Jackie Speier has told her own story of being assaulted by the chief of staff of the congressional office where she worked when she was 23 years old.3 Women – including former congressional staffers – have accused sitting members of congress of harassment and assault. Rep. John Conyers has stepped down as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee in light of news reports describing a settlement his office reached with a woman who accused him.4 Most Republicans are racing to distance themselves from Roy Moore, their Alabama senatorial candidate who has been accused of sexually assaulting teenage girls. Democratic leaders in Congress have the opportunity to take the lead in pushing for real change and real accountability. They should demand that Congress empower a bipartisan commission to look into the systemic problems that perpetuate gender discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault in Congress and the federal government more broadly. This would include investigating allegations against federal elected officials, including Trump, in a way that prioritizes believing women, respecting survivors and holding perpetrators accountable. Can you add your voice today? Tell congressional leaders: Create an independent bipartisan commission to investigate sexual harassment and assault by federal officials, including Donald Trump. Click here to sign the petition. Asking Republicans to stand up for women and hold sexual predators like Trump accountable is a long shot, and not just because their party's agenda is anti-woman at its core. In order to preserve their party's advantage and advance their dangerous agenda, they turned a blind eye to reports of Trump's sexual predation for months leading up to the 2016 election and have similarly given Trump a pass on his Russia ties, his corruption and the way he is using the White House to enrich his family. But right now, the momentum for holding powerful men accountable for using their power to harass, assault and discriminate against women is on our side. Moore is a toxic candidate. Massive public pressure has forced Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to not only say that Moore should step aside if he wins the election, but to also voice public support for women who have called out the alleged pedophile.5 Now is the time to keep the pressure on and force Sen. McConnell, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and other Republican leaders to not only work in a credible bipartisan manner to make real change in Congress, but to deal with the sexual predator who leads their party. Tell congressional leaders: Create an independent bipartisan commission to investigate systemic misogyny and sexism in Congress and to investigate and hold accountable Donald Trump and any other elected official accused of sexual harassment or assault. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Sexual_Misconduct_Commission?t=8&akid=26239%2E12967895%2E_ebzIZ Thank you for everything you do, Heidi Hess, Senior Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: - Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Elise Viebeck, "How Congress plays by different rules on sexual harassment and misconduct," The Washington Post, Oct. 27, 2017.
- Margaret Hartmann, "What Happened to the 16 Women Who Accused Trump of Sexual Misconduct," New York Magazine, Nov. 20, 2017.
- Sunlen Serfaty, "Congresswoman describes sexual assault in #MeToo video," CNN, Oct. 27, 2017.
- Maegan Vasquez, "Conyers steps down as ranking member of Judiciary Committee amid sexual harassment investigation," CNN, Nov. 26, 2017.
- Eli Watkins, "McConnell on Moore: 'I believe the women,' Moore should go," CNN, Nov. 20, 2017.
photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images |
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