Democrats investigate sexual harassment allegation against new Ohio congressman

House Democrats are investigating an aide’s complaint that newly elected Rep. Brian Poindexter made sexually harassing comments to him during his campaign.

The investigation is being conducted by an independent firm hired by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the group confirmed in a statement to CNN.

Poindexter defeated Rep. Max Miller, a former Trump adviser whose ex-wife accused him of domestic violence, which he denied. The unwelcome development comes as Democrats try to focus on crafting their agenda on the heels of a massive victory in November.

“The DCCC has been informed of the allegations and takes them seriously,” said Julie Merz, executive director of the campaign group.

In a statement, a Poindexter campaign spokesperson said, “Brian made what he thought was a harmless compliment to a volunteer. He later learned that it made her uncomfortable and made him feel terrible.”

The spokesperson added: “When Brian learned of this, we immediately began working to get to the bottom of this with an outside human resources firm. Neither Brian nor the campaign ever want anyone to feel uncomfortable.”

The Democrats’ campaign arm was alerted to the allegation just before the election by the Blue Dog PAC and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, the groups said in a statement to CNN. Both groups withdrew their support for Poindexter until the DCCC completed its investigation.

“The individual requested that we not release any details about this matter publicly because she did not want her identity made public and wanted the opportunity to determine how she wanted to proceed while protecting herself,” the statement from the two groups said. “We respected his wishes and also felt we needed to immediately withdraw our endorsements pending the completion of the investigation. The investigation is ongoing and we await the results.”

Poindexter’s removal from both groups’ support lists came as members were arriving at the Capitol for new member orientation. Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that Poindexter was not invited to orientation sessions for new members of the Progressive Caucus or the Blue Dog Coalition.

Cheyenne Hunt, whose group Reckoning Action is supporting the unnamed woman, told CNN she was contacted by aide two days before Poindexter flipped Ohio’s 7th District. Hunt described her as a “very low-level employee” but did not provide additional details to protect her anonymity. Hunt declined to discuss the details of his allegation.

Lawmakers are currently discussing how to improve Capitol Hill’s handling of sexual harassment complaints, following a series of complaints against other politicians earlier this year. A group of Democrats are pushing for stricter driving regulations as part of a package of rules for the full House for next year.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was briefed on the allegations regarding Poindexter, according to a person familiar with the discussions. His office referred CNN to the campaign arm, pending the ongoing investigation.

Poindexter spread an economic populist message and highlighted his experience as a union ironworker, but he also leaned into his role as a father. In an early advert, he appeared with his daughters as they teased him.

On the campaign trail, Poindexter’s story also became a focal point of Miller’s attacks against him, including a 2013 fight with another man at a baseball game, where he was arrested, and a 1998 incident in which he was arrested by police when they suspected him of possessing crack cocaine.

Poindexter was never charged in either incident and told CNN in an October interview that he had never used hard drugs in his life. He also said he regularly took drug tests for his job and had never failed a test.