Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, has long been considered one of the worst bosses in Washington. The congresswoman, who once compared the Tea Party to the KKK and cycled through 11 different chiefs of staff in as many years, has been repeatedly deemed the “meanest” member of the House by the Washingtonian. But she may have crossed the line into pure evil, according to a lawsuit filed against her and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
The story itself is complicated. The the allegation is that Jackson Lee, currently chairwoman of the CBCF, wrongfully fired and retaliated against a former female staffer for reporting a rape by a CBCF employee who at the time was her supervisor.
If the details in the suit are true — and there are text messages and a truly gruesome rape kit indicating that there’s at least something to it — then this could and should end Jackson Lee’s career.
The plaintiff, a Jane Doe, says that then-CBCF staffer Damien Jones raped her in 2015, when she was a teenage intern for the foundation. Although she obtained a rape kit and reported the incident to the CBCF and Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., Doe did not pursue legal action at the time. The CBCF placed Jones on leave, but years later, just before Doe was hired by Jackson Lee, the CBCF invited Jones to speak at an event, even though they knew that a woman had credibly accused him of rape.
The crux of Doe’s lawsuit centers around what happened next. When Doe took the job in Jackson Lee’s congressional office in late 2017, she found out that Jones might also be hired there. Doe then told Jackson Lee’s chief of staff, Glenn Rushing, about the rape, so the office didn’t hire him. Some months later, Doe told Rushing she was going to pursue a lawsuit against the CBCF — a move she had considered multiple times in the three years since the rape — and she requested to talk to Jackson Lee herself. Shortly afterward, Jackson Lee fired her, in a move that Doe alleges was a retaliatory and wrongful termination.
The details of the suit include other unsavory details, such as Jackson Lee’s generally abusive behavior toward her staff and an ominous text message from the then-CEO of the CBCF, A. Shuanise Washington, telling Jackson Lee that she had “background on” Doe and indicating that Jackson Lee likely fired Doe on behalf of the CBCF. But the suit looks more legally damning for Jackson Lee rather than the CBCF, which is clearly run by bad actors but may not have actually broken the law.
Doe charges Jackson Lee with relation and violating the Congressional Accountability Act. She accuses the CBCF of retaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and tortious interference with contract rights, business relationship, and prospective economic advantages.
Predictably, Democrats have remained mum on the issue and quietly ignorant of Jones, who most recently ran Beto O’Rourke’s political outreach during his Senate campaign. (To the O’Rourke camp’s credit, there’s no indication that his staff had any knowledge of the allegations. His nascent presidential campaign says it “no longer” has a relationship with Jones.)
Jackson Lee’s reputation has long preceded her, and while Democrats may be happy to pretend that Republicans have a monopoly on sexual violence, reporters have been far more honest. Journalist Yashar Ali noted that this story “comes as little surprise to people who have worked with her and around her.”
In any case, given the evidence, it seems likely that many on the Hill will feel justice is served if a #LeeToo moment takes down the worst boss in Washington.
