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Former Rep. Harry Benton ethics report released | What we know
Several allegations against a former state lawmaker are coming to light in a new report released by the Illinois Legislative Inspector General.
ILLINOIS - The Illinois Legislative Inspector General investigated complaints about former State Rep. Harry Benton's conduct while he served in the Illinois House.
According to the report, investigators found Benton committed two acts of sexual harassment that violated state law.
New report on former Rep. Benton released
The backstory:
In one incident, the report says Benton leaned over a district office director at a Springfield bar, touched her back and stood so close that she felt uncomfortable until another person stepped between them. The inspector general found the woman's account to be credible.
In a separate incident, a registered lobbyist told investigators Benton made a sexually explicit comment to her during a conversation at a bar.
According to the report, Benton told the lobbyist: "You know, I might be a five, but I f*** like a ten. You want to get out of here and have some fun?"
The report says a state representative who witnessed the encounter corroborated key parts of the lobbyist's account.
Other allegations:
The report also describes additional allegations made by a former employee, including references to OnlyFans, requests for overnight stays, comments about stripper poles and other sexually charged remarks.
However, the inspector general said those allegations were not the basis for the two founded sexual harassment findings. Instead, they helped establish what the report describes as a broader pattern of inappropriate conduct.
The report also notes that some allegations were unfounded because they fell outside the statute of limitations, involved political disputes rather than sexual harassment, or could not be corroborated.
Benton's response:
According to the report, Benton denied the allegations during his interview with investigators.
The inspector general's report is dated June 30. Benton resigned from the Illinois House on July 3.
Ethics commission reacts:
Legislative Ethics Commission Chair and State Rep. Jeff Keicher said the findings highlight the need to restore public confidence in elected officials.
What's next:
The inspector general recommended making permanent restrictions that had already been placed on Benton, including removing him from committee assignments, excluding him from House Democratic Caucus meetings and denying him access to the Speaker's Office.
However, Benton resigned from the Illinois House on July 3.
To see the full report, follow this link.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Lauren Scafidi.