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House Ethics Committee Reproves Mark Meadows Over Handling of Aide's Sexual Harassment, Orders $40,625 Repayment (2018)

The Committee found that after receiving complaints in October 2014, Meadows restricted West from the offices but kept him as chief of staff with full salary and supervisory authority until April 2015, ignored an independent investigator's recommendation to terminate him, then kept paying him as "Senior Advisor" and as "severance" through August 15, 2015. The Committee found violations of clause 8 of the Code of Official Conduct (compensation not commensurate with duties) and of House rules against discrimination.

Record summary

Grade

Outside the grading scale: Pre-Office Conduct

International crime

Pre-office conduct — outside the official-power scale

Conduct from before office: Donald Trump’s before the June 2015 campaign launch, and an administration official’s before their first appointment or between terms. Scale and definitions

Status
Concluded
Legal status
Official finding
Before Office
Mark Meadows (all before-office records)
Incident date
Record updated
Location
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.
Category
Civil Rights
Legal posture
Documented
Verification
Cross-referenced
Sources
3 cited
Stable ID
mark-meadows-house-ethics-reproval-2018
Posture note
House Committee on Ethics, H. Rept. 115-1042, "In the Matter of Allegations Relating to Representative Mark Meadows" (November 16, 2018), adopted unanimously; serves as a reproval and required repayment of $40,625.02.
Alleged responsible parties
  • Mark Meadows, U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 11th district— U.S. House of Representatives

Key points

  • In October 2014 several female employees complained to Meadows about his chief of staff, Kenny West, including unwanted touching, inappropriate staring and unprofessional comments
  • Meadows restricted West from the congressional offices but kept him as chief of staff, with full salary and supervisory responsibilities, until April 2015, and did not act on an independent investigator's recommendation to terminate him
  • West was demoted to Senior Advisor at the same salary, resigned on May 21, 2015, and was paid as "severance" through August 15, 2015
  • The Committee found Meadows violated clause 8 of the Code of Official Conduct by paying compensation not commensurate with duties, and violated House rules by failing to ensure his office was free from discrimination
  • The Committee voted unanimously to issue the report as a reproval and required Meadows to reimburse the U.S. Treasury $40,625.02

What happened

In October 2014, several female employees in Representative Mark Meadows' congressional office complained to him about the conduct of his chief of staff, Kenny West, including unwanted touching, inappropriate staring and unprofessional comments. Meadows restricted West from the congressional offices and from contacting most female employees, and arranged an independent review. According to the House Committee on Ethics, he then ignored that review's recommendation to terminate West. West kept his title, full salary and supervisory authority over all congressional staff until April 2015, when Meadows demoted him to Senior Advisor at the same salary. West resigned on May 21, 2015, and Meadows kept paying him his full salary as "severance" through August 15, 2015.

The Committee found that West's conduct toward female staff "was inappropriate in every sense of the word," and that Meadows "should have done more to address that behavior and prevent it from occurring again in the future."

  • Body: U.S. House Committee on Ethics, following a referral from the Office of Congressional Ethics (review opened October 24, 2015; referral transmitted March 18, 2016; investigation announced August 17, 2016).
  • Finding: Meadows violated clause 8 of the Code of Official Conduct by retaining an employee whose duties were not commensurate with his pay, including the severance period, and violated House rules by failing to take appropriate steps to keep his office free from discrimination and any perception of discrimination.
  • Outcome: On November 16, 2018, the Committee voted unanimously to issue H. Rept. 115-1042 as a reproval of Meadows' conduct and required him to reimburse the U.S. Treasury $40,625.02.
  • This was a congressional ethics finding, not a criminal or civil court proceeding.

Sources

  • U.S. House Committee on Ethics, "In the Matter of Allegations Relating to Representative Mark Meadows," H. Rept. 115-1042, November 16, 2018 (Committee page and GPO print).
  • Grace Segers and Rebecca Kaplan, "House Ethics Committee releases reports on sexual harassment by representative, staffer," CBS News, November 16, 2018.

Update log

  1. Added for the Before Office record. Meadows first joined the administration as White House Chief of Staff on March 31, 2020.

Sequence of events

  1. Staff complaints

    Female employees in Meadows' office complain to him about chief of staff Kenny West's conduct (the report dates the complaints to October 2014).

  2. West demoted

    In April 2015 Meadows changes West's title to Senior Advisor, keeping the same salary (the report gives the month, not the day).

  3. Last salary payment

    West, who resigned on May 21, 2015, is paid his full salary through this date.

  4. Office of Congressional Ethics review opens

    OCE begins a preliminary review; it later finds substantial reason to believe House rules were violated and refers the matter on March 18, 2016.

  5. Ethics Committee report

    The House Committee on Ethics issues H. Rept. 115-1042, serving as a reproval and requiring repayment of $40,625.02.

Sources

  1. In the Matter of Allegations Relating to Representative Mark Meadows (H. Rept. 115-1042) — U.S. House Committee on Ethics
  2. H. Rept. 115-1042, full report (GPO print) — U.S. Government Publishing Office
  3. House Ethics Committee releases reports on sexual harassment by representative, staffer — CBS News

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

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