Posted on 03/07/2011 12:19:57 PM PST by smoothsailing
Maarch 7, 2011-News Release
Hastings Allegedly Retaliated Against Victim for Complaining About Conduct
WASHINGTON, March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it filed a lawsuit on March 7, 2011 against Florida Democrat Congressman Alcee Hastings on behalf of a female employee who was repeatedly subjected to "unwelcome sexual advances," "unwelcome touching" and retaliation. The alleged harassment and retaliation began in 2008, when Hastings was Chairman of the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Commission is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Also named is the Commission's former staff director, Fred Turner. Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit on behalf of Commission employee Winsome Packer (Packer v. US Comm. On Security & Cooperation in Europe, and Hastings and Turner (CV No. 11-00485 D.D.C.)).
According to Judicial Watch's lawsuit, filed on Monday, March 7th with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia:
For over two years, from January 2008 through February 19, 2010, Ms. Packer was forced to endure unwelcome sexual advances, crude sexual comments, and unwelcome touching by Mr. Hastings while serving as the Representative of the Commission to the United States Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Although Ms. Packer repeatedly rejected Mr. Hastings' sexual attention and repeatedly complained about the harassment to the Commission Staff Director, Fred Turner, Mr. Hastings refused to stop sexually harassing her. Rather, Mr. Hastings and Mr. Turner began to retaliate against Ms. Packer—including making threats of termination—because she continued to object to Mr. Hastings' conduct.
Ms. Packer was particularly vulnerable to such threats because she was a Republican working for the Democratically-controlled Commission, a point that both Mr. Hastings and Mr. Turner used to threaten and intimidate her. Eventually, the emotional distress, anxiety, and humiliation caused by the sexual harassment and retaliation caused Ms. Packer to suffer severe health problems and forced her to leave her prestigious position.
According to Judicial Watch's complaint, "Mr. Hastings' intention was crystal clear: he was sexually attracted to Ms. Packer, wanted a sexual relationship with her, and would help progress her career if she acquiesced to his sexual advances." These advances included: Making multiple demands that Ms. Packer allow Rep. Hastings to stay in her apartment while she served as the Commission's lead staff representative overseas; subjecting Ms. Packer to unwanted physical contact, including hugging her with both arms while pressing his body against her body and his face against her face; inviting her on multiple occasions to accompany him alone to his hotel room; making sexual comments and references to Ms. Packer, and asking Ms. Packer humiliating and inappropriate questions in public, such as "What kind of underwear are you wearing?"
After Ms. Packer repeatedly rebuffed these advances and reported them to her superior, Mr. Turner, and other officials (including Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)), Hastings allegedly scolded her for not being a "sport" and for rejecting him after he had "come to [her] as a man does a woman." He said he was very upset she had reported his behavior to Mr. Turner: "How dare you complain about me! You had better forget about being Republican." Moreover, Hastings and Turner then allegedly took retaliatory actions against Ms. Packer by repeatedly threatening her job at the Commission, by refusing to allow her to return from overseas to her position as Policy Advisor in Washington, D.C., and by intentionally marginalizing her from her colleagues. Hastings also pressured Ms. Packer to buy him personal gifts and make a campaign contribution to him.
As a direct result of Mr. Hastings' sexual harassment, Ms. Packer experienced insomnia, anxiety, depression, high-blood pressure, and developed symptoms of coronary artery disease. At one point, these symptoms were so severe Ms. Packer collapsed and was rushed to the emergency room. Ms. Packer has been prescribed medication and is under the care of a physician because of the severity of her heart problems.
"The allegations against Alcee Hastings as detailed in this complaint are outrageous. Is Congress so far gone that its members think they can get away with the most base sexual harassment of staff! For two years Hastings subjected Ms. Packer to a never-ending barrage of unwanted sexual advances. And when Ms. Packer tried, time and again, to put a stop to it, he resorted to threats and intimidation to force her compliance. Even after Hastings' behavior caused Ms. Packer's physical collapse, he would not relent. We look forward to holding Alcee Hastings and the other defendants accountable for their unlawful behavior in court," stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Hastings, a former federal judge, was impeached by the House and, after a trial, removed by the U.S. Senate from the bench in 1989 for bribery and perjury.
Visit www.judicialwatch.org to view Judicial Watch's lawsuit against Alcee Hastings.
Whatever will the Anita Hill groupies have to say about this?
An impeached and fired federal judge still can get a high level job in Washington. Not really a surprise, is it?
wasn’t he merely demonstrating TSA procedures?
I think he should be impeached by congress.
Then I think he should run for president, so that he can go for the trifecta, the hat trick, the triple crown, the three-fer, or whatever it’s called when some scum-sucking pig gets impeached from offices in all three branches of our government.
Sounds like he’s a shoe in for a Massachusetts senator.
No morals, sleazy, and without any redeeming qualities whatsoever.
See “Dead Ted”.
Oh, forgot, he didn’t have dollars from his felonious father to buy him out of trouble.
Want to bet that he gets away with it??? Dems always seem to get away with it. Pubs resign. Dems stay as Alcee did and won a House seat after being...impeached as a jurist. Yipe. Dems love to have the corrupt win..
Ted Kennedy, Chris Dodd, Al Gore, John Edwards, Eric Massa, Rham Emanuel, what is it with these Dems?
Democrats celebrate another life long crook.
Come here honey. You pretend to be Guam. I’ll see if I can get it tip over.
It’s OK, cause he’s black, and already an ex-con.
a pic of Ms. Packer:
http://aysps.gsu.edu/news/briefing/spring03/winsome.htm
Florida should be better than this.
Then the people of Florida thought it would be really neat to make him a Congressman.
And somehow, they thought he'd obey the law???!? IN ANY REGARD??!?
Apparently she is a black woman with very strong conservative connections — translation, nobody will lift a finger to help her.
I don’t doubt this woman’s story but I would recommend she get different lawyers. In the past Judicial Watch has shown their priority is self promotion before client needs.
How’s the media going to cover that one up?
In 1981, Hastings was charged with accepting a $150,000 bribe in exchange for a lenient sentence and a return of seized assets for 21 counts of racketeering by Frank and Thomas Romano, and of perjury in his testimony about the case. He was acquitted by a jury after his alleged co-conspirator, William Borders, refused to testify in court (resulting in a jail sentence for Borders).
In 1988, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives took up the case, and Hastings was impeached for bribery and perjury by a vote of 413-3. He was then convicted in 1989 by the United States Senate, becoming the sixth federal judge in the history of the United States to be removed from office by the Senate.
Hastings is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus
Today, as a Senior Democratic Whip, Hastings is an influential member of the Democratic leadership. Representative Hastings is also a member of the powerful House Rules Committee and is a senior Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). On the HPSCI, Hastings is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
The above is from Wikipedia.
As a corrupt black Democrat perjurer and bribe taker he fits right in with rangel, waters, Obama, Lee and the rest of the Congressional Black Caucus.
The perfect man in the perfect spot.
Black voters in Florida should be proud of what they sent to Congress I am sure he was the best they had.
No that isn’t sarcasm, it’s exactly how I feel.
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