The D.C. Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency bill ordering the city’s inspector general to review an internal investigation that substantiated accusations of sexual harassment by former deputy mayor John Falcicchio. The legislation also requires further examination into whether there were broader problems of workplace culture or retaliation.
The move caps off mounting concerns from lawmakers that the initial investigation, which was conducted by an office within Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration, may not have fully explored sexual harassment or other misconduct by Falcicchio, who before his sudden departure in early March had been one of Bowser’s longest-serving and highest-ranking aides and political confidantes.
The investigation by the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel did determine that Falcicchio sexually harassed a subordinate by making “unwelcome” sexual advances towards her and sending her “thousands of messages” that were both “unwanted and sexually-charged” — including a demand for sex. But in other cases it did not pursue specific allegations made by the female employee, even as it conceded that Falcicchio “gave preferential assignments to women he found attractive and used the workplace as a ‘dating pool.'”
“We have a responsibility to support victims, protect workers and restore public trust. There are widespread concerns about how the investigation of the complaints against the mayor’s former chief of staff and deputy...
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