Another Democrat Faces Calls To Resign Because Of Sexual Harassment Allegations

Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., is facing sexual harassment allegations that he propositioned a former staffer for dates and sexual encounters despite her repeated rejections.

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Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., is facing sexual harassment allegations that he propositioned a former staffer for dates and sexual encounters despite her repeated rejections.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has called for a fellow Democrat to resign after allegations surfaced that the freshman lawmaker sexually harassed a staffer during his campaign.

Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., is accused of making repeated unwanted sexual advances toward his then-finance director who was identified only as Samantha in an article published by BuzzFeed News on Friday. According to the report, the woman worked for Kihuen between December 2015 and April 2016.

During that time, according to the report, then-candidate Kihuen on two occasions touched her thighs without consent and “propositioned her for dates and sex despite her repeated rejections.”

On one occasion in February 2016, after attending a fundraiser, the woman says, Kihuen followed her to her car and told her: ” ‘You look really good, I’d like to take you out if you didn’t work for me.’ “

Pelosi has issued a statement calling for Kihuen to step down.

“Across the nation, in every industry, brave women are coming forward to share stories of harassment that must be heard.

“In Congress, no one should face sexual harassment in order to work in an office or in a campaign. The young woman’s documented account is convincing, and I commend her for the courage it took to come forward.

“In light of these upsetting allegations, Congressman Kihuen should resign.”

The BuzzFeed report goes on to say the woman was not sure how to report the uncomfortable interactions with Kihuen but did speak to a midlevel staffer at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to let him know why she was abruptly quitting the campaign.

Kihuen won the Democratic primary and defeat Republican incumbent Cresent Hardy last year to become the first Latino elected to the House of Representatives from Nevada, according to his biography on his congressional website.

The first-term congressman released a statement to BuzzFeed News on Friday, saying he takes the “matter seriously and is not indicative of who I am.”

“The staff member in question was a valued member of my team. I sincerely apologize for anything that I may have said or done that made her feel uncomfortable.”

Kihuen’s office has not responded to NPR’s request for comment.

Contacted by NPR, the DCCC echoed Pelosi. “Members and candidates must be held to the highest standard,” Chairman Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., said in a statement. “If anyone is guilty of sexual harassment or sexual assault, they should not hold elected office. Congressman Kihuen should resign.”

The allegations leveled at Kihuen come as a wave of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment allegations have engulfed powerful men in industries from entertainment to business to media — including NPR — and in Congress.

Earlier this week Pelosi, along with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Rep. James Clyburn, the highest-ranking African-American member of Congress, called on Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., to resign.

Conyers, the most senior member of Congress and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, is facing mounting pressure to resign after multiple women have come forward accusing him of sexual harassment, including a former staffer Marion Brown who received a $27,000 payment not to discuss details of his alleged misconduct. She spoke about Conyers earlier this week on NBC’s Today show.

Conyers, who is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, has stepped down from his post as ranking member of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, but remains in office. He was hospitalized in Michigan because of stress this week, according to his lawyer.

Across the Capitol, the Senate Ethics Committee confirmed Thursday that it has opened a preliminary inquiry into allegations regarding Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. Franken is accused of groping multiple women. In a recent interview with Minnesota Public Radio, Franken said that he was ashamed of his actions, but that he would not leave office.

“I’m going to take responsibility. I’m going to be held accountable, and I’m going to try to be productive in the way I speak about this,” Franken said.

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Champ Max Holloway sees four-title future, but wants featherweight GOAT status first

DETROIT – The sky is the limit for UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway after his win over Jose Aldo in the UFC 218 main event. His current plans, however, are solely based around defending his belt as long as possible.

Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) put on a repeat performance of his title-winning victory over Aldo (26-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at UFC 212 in June when he stopped “Scarface” by third-round TKO in Saturday’s UFC 218 headliner, which took place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

The scintillating performance marked Holloway’s 12th consecutive octagon victory, putting him in rare company in terms of the longest winning streaks in UFC history. “Blessed” said at UFC 218’s post-fight news conference, which MMAjunkie attended, that he doesn’t see himself slowing down any time soon. If things continue to go his way, Holloway not only sees himself being the best 145-pound champion ever, but could also take belts in multiple other weight classes.

“The only thing that’s going to stop me is medically, or I can’t make the weight,” Holloway said. “I’m not going to force my body to do something it doesn’t want to. I’ll go up to 155. I was talking to Michael Bisping and them on the (FS1 post-fight) show and Michael was like, ‘Can you win another title?’ … I was like, ‘Michael, you’re cutting Maxi Baby short.’ Us Hawaiians love to eat. I want to go for four titles. (155), 170, 185. I might even be at heavyweight one day. You guys know our eating habits are bad in Hawaii. One day I might make history.

“This is what champions do,” he continued. “Champions defend. You’re not a champion until you defend your title. I always want to bring stability (to the division). I want to prove to people, if you want to be a champion, this is how you do it. It took me 10 fights to get an interim belt and 11 to get the undisputed. I don’t want anybody else to go through that. I want to be like (Demetrious Johnson), the guys pop up and you get sent down to the bottom of the barrel, bother. Keep trying to catch up.”

It wasn’t long ago when Aldo held an undeniable status as the best featherweight in MMA history. Holloway beat the Brazilian twice back-to-back, though, and now the conversation has to be reconsidered. Aldo still holds many of the all-time records in the division, including a record seven consecutive title defenses. Holloway said he won’t consider his legacy superior until he breaks all those records.

“This is huge,” Holloway said. “People ask what this makes me. It makes me a guy with two wins over Aldo and I got a bunch more to catch up to him. He’s the greatest of all time. He got seven, eight title defenses. I’ve got to catch up. Numbers don’t lie. Women lie, men lie, but numbers don’t lie. I’ve only got one defense. I’ve got a bunch of catching up to do. He’s still the GOAT, I still respect him and I’m coming for that record, though.”

Holloway’s outlook on being a champion is increasingly rare in the sport’s current landscape. Many titleholders are looking to cash in on super fights or change weight classes, but that’s not how Holloway intends to move forward with his career – at least not yet, anyway.

The Hawaiian said he wants to be a classic type of champion who is willing to take on all comers. So when it comes to the discussion about his next opponent, he said he simply doesn’t care who is standing across the octagon, because he intends on beating everyone at least once, anyway.

“These guys are cupcakes – I want the new flavor,” Holloway said. “I want to know what the new flavor tastes like. I know how the other ones tastes, so that’s great, that’s fine. I’ll fight them all. They’re going to all take Ls like I said. By the time I’m done with this division, when you look at the top 15, everybody is going to have an L next to their name. Some guys two, and you’re lucky, you’re going to have three.

“People want to get their money and leave the game, they want to set history or whatever and this and that,” he continued. “Right now I’m focused on champ life. I want to be a champion. I want to be a long-reigning featherweight champion. I want to be in the history books everywhere, as a champion and this and that. Later on my career when I start getting good then I can start doing exhibition matches for money and stuff. Right now, I think the world needs to know what a champion looks like and I’m trying to put my foot down and say, ‘This is what a champion looks like.’ I don’t cry about anything. If you think you’re the best, come fight ‘Blessed.’”

For complete coverage of UFC 218, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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