Virginia Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott has been accused of sexual harassment by a woman who served in his office.
Marsheri Reese Everson, an attorney who was awarded a fellowship by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in 2013, made the accusations public Friday at a northern Virginia hotel alongside her attorney, Jack Burkman. (Burkman, who employed Everson, is involved in the Seth Rich controversy.)
Everson claims that Scott acted inappropriately on three occasions during her fellowship. She said that, while riding a subway between the Capitol and congressional office buildings, Scott placed his hand on her knee. Another time, Scott placed his hand on the small of her back while making introductions.
Everson’s final claim revolves around a trip Scott was to take to work on student loan policy, and she asked if she would be going, as she recently did work on that issue. Scott responded by asking if she would flirt with him while on the trip, to which she responded she would not. Scott allegedly replied, “what’s the point of you coming?” and appeared angry.
After this alleged incident, Everson told reporters, she left Scott’s office without putting in her two week’s notice. Her CBCF fellowship was half over, and she was in the process of trying to find a congressional committee that would host the remainder of her fellowship. The office of Rep. Maxine Waters, a member of the Financial Services Committee, is where Everson was seeking a continuation of her fellowship. A member of Rep. Waters’s staff, Everson alleges, told her to go “make this right” with Rep. Scott’s office.
Around this point, Everson revealed she was put on a “Personal Improvement Plan” by the CBCF, a tool often used to legally protect an employer when firing an individual for performance. Everson claims the CBCF “wrongfully terminated” her fellowship, which as of 2015, paid $40,000 a year.
Everson’s fellowship with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation was the source of funding, not taxpayer dollars. Thus, when she brought a complaint to the Office of Compliance, the New York Times reports, the committee reportedly told Everson her complaint was not under their jurisdiction.
Everson says she filed a complaint with the D.C. Office of Human Rights that went into mediation, seeking the rest of her stipend and a positive letter of recommendation.
In late November, Everson scheduled a similar press conference, where she intended to accuse Scott of harassment, but backed out minutes before the press conference was slated to begin. Burkman, who stood beside her today, reportedly determined he no longer wished to represent Everson after the no-show incident, before apparently reconsidering.
Everson made sexual harassment accusations in 2011 when she was employed by the City of Chicago. She was later fired. Nothing appears to have come from her charges, but Everson was apparently placed on the city’s “do not hire” list as a result. When asked by a reporter about the Chicago allegations, Everson suggested that she moved to Washington to pursue a career in politics to move on and put it behind her.
Rep. Jackie Speier, whose November testimony with Rep. Barbara Comstock about sexual harassment on Capitol Hill made waves before a number of retirements and resignations by members of Congress, met with Everson. When asked by a reporter at the event whether the testimony Speier shared included her story, Everson replied that Speier shared her story.
Everson and Burkman informed reporters that Everson had withdrawn her complaint with the D.C. Office of Human Rights earlier this year, so that she could pursue litigation, which has not yet been filed.
Before today’s formal accusation by Everson, Rep. Scott told Roll Call that, regarding Everson, ‘There have been no credible complaints that I’m aware of.’ THE WEEKLY STANDARD emailed his office requesting comment, but have not heard back.
Update: Rep. Scott’s office released the following statement:
