Trending Now - Taxpayer Funds Used for Over $300K in Lawmaker Harassment Settlements
WHO:
NY Post - Rep. Nancy Mace
CNN - Six former members of the House of Representatives or their offices, including former Reps. John Conyers and Blake Farenthold
WHAT:
CNN - Twenty-three case files of settlements in the jurisdiction of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights were destroyed pursuant to the office’s record retention policy.
CNN - Following policy changes made in 2018, members could no longer rely on taxpayer dollars for settlements related to sexual harassment allegations.
CNN - The House Ethics Committee stated that since the enactment of the new law in 2018, “the Committee has not been notified of any awards or settlements relating to allegations of sexual harassment by a member.”
NY Post - Taxpayers paid over $338,000 to settle sexual harassment cases between 2007 and 2017.
CNN - Taxpayers have paid more than $300,000 in confidential sexual harassment settlements.
CNN - The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights approved 349 awards or settlements from January 1, 1996, through December 12, 2018.
CNN - Eighty of those cases were settled by a House or Senate office for various reasons, with seven cases leading to payments for sexual harassment allegations.
CNN - An $84,000 settlement was made on behalf of Farenthold, a severance payment of over $27,000, and another $50,000 settlement payment were made on behalf of Conyers.
WHERE:
CNN - Legislative branch offices in the United States
WHEN:
CNN - The payments referenced were made between 2007 and 2017.
CNN - The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights approved settlements from January 1, 1996, through December 12, 2018.
CNN - The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Conyers in 2017.
WHY:
CNN - The documents were released following a subpoena from Rep. Nancy Mace as part of an effort for transparency and accountability after sexual misconduct allegations.
HOW:
CNN - The “OCWR Record Retention Policy” was put in place in 2013 to align the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights with regular government-wide record retention practices.
CNN - The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights was compelled to turn over settlement documents to Congress.
CNN - The general language of the settlement contracts states that the office agrees to the settlement “to avoid the inconvenience of protracted litigation and the expense to the parties and the taxpayers of such litigation.”
(UPDATED May 5, 2026 21:19 UTC)
Twenty-three case files of settlements managed by the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights were destroyed in accordance with the office's record retention policy. Following changes made in 2018, members of Congress can no longer use taxpayer dollars for settlements related to sexual harassment allegations, and the House Ethics Committee has confirmed that it has not been notified of any such awards or settlements since that law was enacted. The OCWR Record Retention Policy, established in 2013, was designed to align the office with standard government-wide record retention practices.
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(UPDATED May 5, 2026 19:29 UTC)
Taxpayers have spent over $338,000 to settle sexual harassment cases involving six former members of the House of Representatives, including John Conyers and Blake Farenthold, between 2007 and 2017. The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights approved a total of 349 awards or settlements from 1996 to 2018, with eight cases settled by legislative offices specifically for sexual harassment allegations. This information was made public after Rep. Nancy Mace issued a subpoena, aiming for greater transparency and accountability regarding these misconduct allegations.