Opinions

Before Ethics Committee wastes more money investigating Representative Blake Farenthold, he should resign

Published

2 years ago

December 7, 2017

Blake Farenthold should resign just like John Conyers

There’s a purge going on in Washington DC, Hollywood, and everywhere in between. Men who abused their powers to commit sexual misconduct against women are being accused. Many are getting the boot from their professions as a result. Representative Blake Farenthold has not gotten the boot nor has he chosen to resign, but he’s now under investigation.

I am not in the camp who believes everyone who gets accused should be disgraced until they resign. I’m also not one who believes they must go through proper vetting and due process. This isn’t a legal proceeding. It’s all about judgment calls. If accusers come out, are credible, and reasonable explanations by the accused are not offered, they should step down. In Farenthold’s case, he used taxpayer money to make a sexual harassment suit go away. That’s all I need to know. He says he’s willing to pay it back. He should. Then, he should resign. I stand by my stance from last week:

Blake Farenthold should resign, just like John Conyers

If reports that Representative Blake Farenthold from Texas used taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual harassment suit, then he should resign. Republicans who come to his defense better not have been calling for Representative John Conyers to step down for the same reason. Consistency is all we have left to hope for in politics.

Generally speaking, it should be automatic that if a representative is accused of and subsequently proven to have committed acts of sexual misconduct, they should get the boot. That’s the atmosphere in American society today and we must hold our representatives to as high of a standard as other industries, arguably higher.

The fact that he’s now under investigation does not change my opinion. If anything, it strengthens my resolve. Why should we pay for an investigation into something that has already been easily demonstrated by the payment of the hush money in the first place?

Statement of the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Representative Blake Farenthold

In accordance with House Rule XI, clause 3, and Committee Rules 10(a)(2) and 18, the Committee on Ethics (Committee) unanimously voted on December 7, 2017, to establish an Investigative Subcommittee. Pursuant to the Committee’s action, the Investigative Subcommittee shall have jurisdiction to determine whether Representative Blake Farenthold violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, with respect to allegations that he, or any person acting on his behalf, sexually harassed a former member of his staff, discriminated against her on the basis of her gender, and retaliated against her for complaining of discriminatory conduct, and allegations that Representative Farenthold made inappropriate statements to other members of his official staff.