Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., referred to a younger staff member as his “soulmate” who he was “emotionally close” to while denying sexual harassment claims.
While denying sexual harassment allegations that recently surfaced, Meehan told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday that acted “selfishly” when he found out this female staffer, who was significantly younger than him, had entered into a relationship with another man.
“Sometimes I have the tendency to lash out to others on the staff … and you go hardest on the ones that you care the most about,” the Republican lawmaker explained.
He also explained how he told the aide “that I was a happily married man and I was not interested in a relationship, particularly not any sexual relationship, but we were soul mates. I think that the idea of a soul mate is that sort of person that out go through remarkable experiences together.”
The congressman also shared a handwritten note he penned to the aide to “clear the air” and congratulate her on her new relationship. In the note he thanked God for “putting you into my life and for all that we have seen and experienced and genuinely shared together.”
The New York Times reported on Saturday that Meehan used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim from a young staffer, which he swiftly denied but the allegations cost him his seat on the House Ethics Committee.
On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Congressman continued to deny harassment claims but confirmed the fact that he did develop a unique relationship with the aide, telling reporters he “developed an affection” for her “in a way in which I was struggling to make sure that I would never put that into our professional relationship.”
Meehan is up for re-election in 2018 and confirmed that he intends to continue his campaign.
