American taxpayers have been quietly billed for over half a million dollars to settle confidential congressional sexual harassment cases dating back decades. Newly released documents show the total is significantly higher than what Congress was initially told.
Documents initially shared with Congress revealed that taxpayers had paid more than $300,000 on behalf of six former members of the US House of Representatives or their offices. But the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights had missed a staggering $220,000 payment on behalf of the late Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings, who died in 2021.
That single payment — the largest known congressional sexual harassment settlement to date — nearly doubles the taxpayer-funded total for such cases disclosed just last week. Hastings previously called the allegations against him “ludicrous.”
The Case the Office Overlooked
The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights explained in a letter to House Oversight Chair James Comer that the Hastings payment did not meet the office’s initial search criteria, which targeted only settlements made on behalf of a lawmaker’s office. In Hastings’ case, the settlement involved the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which Hastings chaired at the time.
An employee who had worked for the commission, whose name is redacted in the files, initially filed a complaint in 2010 but did not receive payment until 2014. Throughout the case, the employee alleged multiple instances of sexual harassment by Hastings and claimed she faced retaliation for bringing her claims forward.
In a 2013 letter, the employee described feeling the system was designed to benefit the employer. “The mediator’s attempt to define for me ‘what is in my best interest’ before I have had the opportunity to meet with the court-appointed attorney completely oversteps the boundaries of her responsibilities and demonstrates a clear disregard of my rights to counsel,” she wrote. “Her conduct further underlines my belief throughout this case that the Office of Compliance is primarily designed to serve as a tool for members of Congress who violate the Congressional Accountability Act and undermine the rights of the victims.”
Gagged While the Employer Walks Free
The confidential settlement reviewed by CNN imposed harsh restrictions on the victim. It barred the employee from ever speaking out about the case. The same restrictions did not apply to the employer.
Roll Call first reported on the existence of the $220,000 settlement in 2017. At the time, Hastings said he never sexually harassed the employee and called the allegations “ludicrous.” He also claimed he did not know until after the fact that a settlement had been made.
CNN has since identified the accuser as Winsome Packer. She confirmed that she is the employee whose name is redacted in the documents. Packer told CNN that her life has been severely impacted since coming forward and that she has not been able to find work or career opportunities since. She also said that after taxes, her settlement was much lower than $220,000.
“People don’t talk about what happens after you file a claim. I have never been able to find work,” Packer told CNN.
The Bigger Picture: More Than $550,000 and Counting
From January 1, 1996, through December 12, 2018, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights approved 349 awards or settlements “to resolve complaints against legislative branch offices,” its general counsel said in a letter obtained by CNN. Eighty of those cases were settled by a House or Senate office for a host of different reasons. From that subset, seven cases led to payments to address allegations of sexual harassment.
The payments referenced in the letter used taxpayer money from a Treasury account that no longer exists as an option for lawmakers. Following policy changes made in 2018 in the wake of the #MeToo movement, members can no longer rely on taxpayer dollars for settlements. The House Ethics Committee announced in a recent statement that since the enactment of the new law, “the Committee has not been notified of any awards or settlements relating to allegations of sexual harassment by a member.”
But the cases from before 2018 remain on the public record — or at least, most of them do.
Destroyed Files and Hidden Records
Twenty-three case files of settlements in the jurisdiction of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights were destroyed pursuant to the office’s record retention policy. That policy, the office’s general counsel explained, “was put in place in 2013 to align OCWR with regular government-wide record retention practices.”
The convenient timing means that records from some of the most sensitive cases no longer exist.
The settlement contracts reviewed by CNN show a standard pattern: the accused office does not admit to any wrongdoing. Rather, one settlement read, the office agreed to pay “to avoid the inconvenience of protracted litigation and the expense to the parties and the taxpayers of such litigation.”
The Push for Transparency
The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights was compelled to turn over the settlement documents to Congress following a subpoena from GOP Rep. Nancy Mace. She has helped lead an effort on Capitol Hill to push for transparency and accountability following recent sexual misconduct allegations that led to a pair of high-profile resignations.
A CNN review of over 1,000 pages of case files — including counsel notes, settlement documents, and formal complaints — offers a window into allegations that certain members leveraged their positions of power to mistreat their staff.
The Bottom Line
Taxpayers paid over $550,000 in confidential congressional sexual harassment settlements dating back decades. The total includes a $220,000 payment on behalf of the late Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings — the single largest known settlement of its kind. His accuser, Winsome Packer, says she has never been able to find work since coming forward and that the system was designed to protect her employer, not her.
The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights initially missed the Hastings payment because it involved a commission he chaired, not his personal office. Twenty-three case files have been destroyed. And since 2018, members can no longer use taxpayer money for such settlements.
