Rep.
Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Republican Rep. Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania
reportedly settled a sexual harassment complaint from a
decades-younger female aide last year.
The aide alleged that Meehan grew hostile after she
became involved with another man.
Meehan, who is married, denied he was romantically
involved with the aide, and said he viewed her as a "soul
mate."
Republican Rep. Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania, who used taxpayer
funds to settle a sexual harassment complaint filed by a
decades-younger female aide, denied the allegation published in a
bombshell New York Times report, but said he viewed the
aide as "a soul mate" and "complete partner," according to
The Inquirer.
A glimpse of Meehan and the aide's alleged interaction was
gleaned from a letter the married 62-year-old Congressman
allegedly wrote in May, in which he thanked the aide for her
companionship.
"As you bask in this moment of extreme joy, I want to share with
you my sentiment of how richly it is deserved," Meehan wrote in
the letter. "You are kind and sensitive and caring and
infectious with your laugh. You are and have been a complete
partner to me and you have brought me much happiness."
"As I walked this evening and glanced over at the White House I
smiled at the irony that on a day I had to say 'no' to the
President and to the Speaker of the House, I got to say 'yes' to
you,"
the letter read.
The letter continued: "Thank you for all that you have done for
me, and for all you continue to do. I thank God for putting you
into my life and for all that we have seen, and experienced and
genuinely shared together."
The aide, who reportedly worked with Meehan for seven years,
texted him the day after the letter was dated, thanking him "for
your very kind words and for your friendship," according to
messages his office shared to the Associated Press.
The aide's complaint alleged that after she became involved in a
serious relationship with another man, Meehan became hostile
enough that she decided to work from home, and then ultimately
quit, according to The Times.
Meehan admitted that he may have acted selfishly towards the
aide: "I started to talk to her about my reaction to (her
new relationship) and you know, selfishly I was thinking about
what this was going to mean to me," Meehan said in The Inquirer,
"that she was leaving and that this was going to change
the dynamic which was very special in my office and also somebody
that I was emotionally close to by virtue of the time that we
spent together in seven years."
Although Meehan admitted to acting selfishly, he told The
Inquirer that he did not pursue a romantic relationship with the
aide. "I was not interested in a relationship, particularly
not any sexual relationship, but we were soul mates." He said he
viewed the idea of a soul mate as someone with whom a person goes
through "remarkable experiences together."
News of the aide's allegation and undisclosed settlement
follows previous sexual misconduct allegations stemming from Capitol Hill in
recent months. The process in which the allegations were settled
has been a subject of debate, after reports shed light on
lawmakers using taxpayer funds for their settlements.
Meehan reportedly said he planned on running for reelection,
according to The Inquirer.
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