Massie to introduce special resolution to expose U.S. Reps who settled sexual misconduct allegations

U.S. Representative Thomas Massie on Monday introduced a privileged resolution that will force the release of the names of members of Congress who settled sexual misconduct claims using taxpayers' money. The issue has long been taken up at Capitol Hill, and the GOP leader has brought it back to the spotlight following the Supreme Court's dismissal of President Donald Trump's appeal to overturn a decision that found him guilty of sexually abusing writer E Jean Carroll.

In a statement shared on social media, the Kentucky Republican announced that he has issued the notice of intent to bring the measure to the House floor, arguing that the American people deserve to know how government funds are used. "Tonight, I gave Notice of Intent to bring forth a Privileged Resolution to force a vote on releasing the names of Congressmen who used taxpayer funds for sexual misconduct settlements," he wrote on X, sharing a clip of him speaking on the House floor. He added that Speaker Mike Johnson has two days to decide the timing of the vote.  

While it remains unclear if the measure will receive enough support to advance, the proposal is expected to renew debate over transparency and accountability in Congress, an issue which has been taken up by several lawmakers since 2017. At the time, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace led the charge and issued a subpoena for the release of information on such settlement payouts.

The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights was then compelled to turn over the settlement documents, and according to a CNN analysis of the information, it was revealed that the office had paid over $17 million since its creation in the 1990s for settlements not just related to sexual harassment but also discrimination and other cases. Earlier this year, additional information revealed that taxpayers have paid over $300,000 in confidential sexual harassment settlements on behalf of six former members of the House of Representatives or their offices, according to Mace and the publication. An OOC spokeswoman told CNN that releasing the extra data was warranted “due to the interest in the awards and settlement figures.”

While Mace led the efforts after a string of high-profile scandals, several other Republicans joined her efforts, including former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Massie, in calling for the release of the "congressional sexual slush fund list" of lawmakers. The renewed push from the Kentucky Republican comes after the Supreme Court said it will not hear an appeal request from Trump to review the civil case that found he defamed and sexually abused Carroll. 

Back in 2023, a New York Jury awarded Carroll $5 million over her civil claim that Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1980s and then defamed her by calling the incident a hoax in the media. While Trump denied all the allegations and argues that the judge improperly allowed evidence to be presented to the jury, a federal appeals court upheld the jury's decision, prompting Trump to knock on the highest court's doors. On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to take up the case without sharing details about the decision, according to BBC.