More details are coming out about the questionable actions of former representative Eric "Salty Old Sailor" Massa, who resigned over allegations of sexual harassment last month. A former aide has filed an official sexual harassment complaint against Massa, saying he "routinely made gestures implying that he wanted oral sex, and made crude propositions requesting oral sex from his employees." As if that wasn't sleazy enough, he also apparently hit on a bartender at services for a dead Marine.
The Washington Post reports that Massa's former chief of staff Joe Racalto "said he tried in fall 2009 to block the lawmaker from being alone with young male staffers, including demanding that he move out of a townhouse Massa shared with staff" and pulling him from a "Dupont Circle bar in December when he could not get Massa to stop making inappropriate comments to a 21-year-old intern and another male staffer."
This past February, Massa allegedy tried to make a date with the bartender at the Hornell Knights of Columbus hall in February after the services for Lance Cpl. Zachary Smith, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. When confronted by Racalto, the Congressman claimed he was just giving the bartender a law school reference. Senior staffers reported the incident to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who told them to tell the House ethics committee. Massa resigned soon after the alleged incident.
Massa has previously admitted to engaging in tickle fights and inappropriate text messaging, but insists he meant no harm. However, House Republicans approved an ethics committee investigation into how the Democrats handled the sexual harassment complaints last month. House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner said, "It is now readily apparent that Congressman Massa's pattern of troubling behavior continued long after Democrats first became aware of his conduct."
