Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., sued for alleged sexual harassment

[The Northerner]

Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group, is accusing U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., of sexually harassing a former female staffer.

The group filed suit today against Hastings, first elected to Congress in 1992, on behalf of Winsome Packer. She is a former employee of the Helsinki Commission, which is based in Vienna, Austria. Hastings is a former chairman of the group, formally known as the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Hastings, in a statement, said he has "never sexually harassed anyone."

"I am insulted that these ludicrous allegations are being made against me," he said. "When all the facts are known in this case, the prevailing sentiment will be, 'How bizarre!' "

In the lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Packer alleges she was "forced to endure unwelcome sexual advances, crude sexual comments, and unwelcome touching by Mr. Hastings" from January 2008 through Feb. 19, 2010.

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/03/rep-alcee-hastings-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-/1

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

1. Why does a group like that need to sue on behalf of someone?

Sounds like a political hit job, and I bet they wouldn't touch a suit against a Rethug for the same.

[FLAprogressive]

2. This guy has had problems before, he was impeached as a federal judge. His constituents are idiots

for electing him.

[Moondog]

4. He has been an embarrassment for years. This really isn't anything new.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. That's what courts are for.

Whether they operate that way is another proposition.