A fourth woman has forward to accuse lawmaker Ruben Kihuen (D-NV) of inappropriate conduct while he ran for congress last year.
The Nevada Independent reported on Saturday that a 24-year-old woman claims Kihuen initiated unwanted advances towards her while she worked at a Washington DC firm that had ties with the freshman lawmaker’s campaign.
The latest accusation comes after Kihuen announced that he would not seek reelection to represent Nevada’s 4th congressional district in next year’s race.
Ruben Kihuen (D-NV) denies all the allegations against him but says he will not seek reelection in next year’s congressional race
Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee on Saturday announced that it was investigating allegations that he sexually harassed multiple women.
The Nevada lawmaker denies all the allegations but said in a statement that they could be ‘a distraction from a fair and thorough discussion of the issues in a reelection campaign.’
The Ethics Committee said Friday that it was aware of ‘public allegations’ against Kihuen, who was only elected last year.
The allegations made by the unidentified woman, who chose to remain anonymous so as not to jeopardize her career prospects, fits a pattern of behavior consistent with three other Kihuen accusers, according to The Nevada Independent.
The young woman says that Kihuen first asked her why she was single and if she lived alone. He then offered to help boost her career – a proposition she interpreted as a possible exchange of sexual favors for career advancement.
The woman said that Kihuen, who is not married, also engaged in inappropriate touching, such as rubbing her lower back and giving her a kiss on the cheek at a campaign fund-raiser.
‘He was notorious. We work with [numerous members of Congress] and none of them have texted people in the office or kissed or done anything suggestive,’ the woman told The Nevada Independent.
Michigan Representative John Conyers (R) and Minnesota Senator Al Franken both said they will resign following sexual harassment allegations
‘He kissed me three times. He asked me if I live by myself, he asked me about my roommate, he told me he lives by himself, he asked where my apartment is, he asked me again how old I am, he asked me again if I don’t have a boyfriend and then he told me I’m one of the most beautiful girls he’s ever seen in D.C., and I said “that’s a low bar,'” she told The Nevada Independent.
The first woman to come forward with allegations, published by BuzzFeed, said Kihuen made repeated sexual advances and touched her thigh twice without consent while she was working on his campaign team in 2016.
The House Ethics Committee is also carrying out an investigation into Texas Congressman Blake Farenthold (Pictured)
Another woman — a Nevada lobbyist — also said she was subjected to Kihuen’s repeated advances when he was a member of the local assembly.
The third woman said she worked at the front desk at Kihuen’s Las Vegas condo in 2014 and 2015. The woman told Buzzfeed that during that time Kihuen would text her ‘creepy and nasty’ things, forcing her at one point to block his number.
Kihuen, 37, is the latest in a series of politicians brought down by harassment allegations.
Two other Democratic members of Congress have so far this year resigned or announced their intention to do so following accusations of sexual misconduct: Michigan Representative John Conyers and Minnesota Senator Al Franken.
The House Ethics Committee is also carrying out other investigations into two Republican politicians: Texas Congressman Blake Farenthold, accused of sexual harassment, and Trent Franks, who asked a female staff member to act as a surrogate for him and his wife. Franks resigned last week.
Texas Representative Joe Barton said he not seek reelection next year for his congressional seat after a naked photo of him circulated online.
And Republican Roy Moore’s campaign for a US Senate seat in Alabama was delayed after allegations that he molested minors decades earlier emerged.
Texas Representative Joe Barton (pictured) said he not seek reelection next year for his congressional seat after a naked photo of him circulated online.