House Ethics Committee says it does not handle sexual-harassment lawsuits or settlement cases involving lawmakers

The House Ethics Committee said Thursday that it is not involved in sexual-harassment lawsuits and does not participate in settlements, clarifying its role after the House adopted a resolution directing additional transparency around taxpayer-funded sexual-misconduct outcomes for members of Congress.

In a statement, the committee said it “does not handle sexual harassment lawsuits or have any involvement in settlements of such claims.” The statement was prompted by the House resolution sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that directs the Ethics Committee and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) to produce a “single consolidated list” identifying members, delegates, or the resident commissioner who were the subject of investigations under House rules or who had sexual harassment or sexual abuse cases that resulted in monetary settlements.

The Ethics Committee said it remains committed to transparency but described its jurisdiction as separate from litigation and settlement administration. It pointed to changes made to the Congressional Accountability Act in 2018, which it said created a system of automatic referrals to the Ethics Committee of member reimbursements tied to sexual-harassment awards or settlements paid from a U.S. Treasury fund, along with publication requirements for those awards or settlements.

The committee also told the House, according to its statement, that it has not been notified of awards or settlements relating to sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or other sexual misconduct by a member since the 2018 reforms took effect. The committee said it nevertheless called on OCWR to release information on sexual-harassment settlements in line with the Massie resolution.

The controversy reflects a broader dispute over where records related to workplace-misconduct settlements should be maintained and who is responsible for making them public. In recent reporting around the House resolution, the Ethics Committee’s position has been framed as a threshold question: whether the Ethics Committee is the correct clearinghouse for settlement documentation or whether that role belongs to OCWR under the Congressional Accountability Act framework.

The Massie-backed resolution, adopted by the full House on Tuesday, directed the Ethics Committee and OCWR to compile the consolidated list. The Ethics Committee’s statement said the committee does not have the settlement handling role implied by its involvement in “lawsuits or settlements,” and it pointed toward OCWR as the office with the relevant settlement information for release.

The next step, based on the committee’s comments, is for OCWR to provide the settlement-related information the resolution seeks, while the Ethics Committee proceeds with any duties it says it has under the 2018 accountability-act amendments regarding reimbursements and publication requirements.