Republican representative Blake Farenthold of Texas is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee over sexual harassment allegations, Politico reports.
Farenthold's former aide, Lauren Greene, says the congressman sexually harassed her and she was fired when she complained about the harassment.
According to The Dallas News, Greene filed a lawsuit against Farenthold in 2014 and he settled with her to the tune of $84,000 taxpayer dollars. Greene's attorney has confirmed that she will cooperate with the investigation. Farenthold has said that he'll repay taxpayers and maintains that he never sexually harassed Greene.
USA Today reports that the House Ethics Committee's investigation will focus on whether Greene's allegations are credible and if she faced discrimination due to her gender.
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Farenthold was previously investigated and cleared by the House Ethics Committee in 2015, but the latest investigation was prompted by new evidence, Politico reports.
"Congressman Farenthold has testified before both the Office of Congressional Ethics and the Ethics Committee of the House," Farenthold's spokeswoman said today. "He has done so voluntary, answering all of their questions."
The congressman is already being pressured by at least one colleague to step down. Republican representative Mia Love of Utah said Farenthold should "voluntarily resign" during an interview with CNN's Kate Bolduan, The Hill reports. "[T]his is a culture of behavior, and I don't think that he thinks he's done anything wrong," Love told Bolduan. "But the fact is, somebody was paid off. And what's frustrating to me is, the money that was used, it's taxpayer dollars."
This week alone, three politicans have stepped down due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Senator Al Franken, Representative John Conyers, and Representative Trent Franks.
Refinery29 has reached out to Farenthold's office for comment.
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