Sen. Kamala Harris, a 2020 candidate for president, says she still has not spoken to the woman who sued one of her longtime staff members of sexual harassment, leading to a $400,000 settlement.
“In this specific case, I have not talked to the victim,” the California Democrat said in a recent interview with Univision. “That case is being handled by the Attorney General’s Office and I’ve left it up to that office to handle the case as they’ve seen fit, which included a settlement.”
The case against Larry Wallace was brought in 2016 by Danielle Hartley, who was working as an assistant to Wallace in Harris’ attorney general office. Wallace was accused of engaging in “gender harassment” and retaliation. The case was settled in 2017.
Harris reiterated that she had no prior knowledge of the lawsuit before late last year, but described herself as being an advocate for any woman to come forward with sexual misconduct allegations.
“I will tell you that it makes the point that no office is immune and I have been a fighter for women’s rights for my entire career. I have indicated that I’m very supportive of all women who come forward and speak up and who have the courage to speak up,” she said.
Wallace resigned his position as a senior adviser to Harris in Sacramento in December 2018 following media inquiries about a harassment and retaliation settlement. Harris praised the “leadership” of Wallace in her book, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, which hit book shelves in January.
