Texas senators accused of sexual harassment in report

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Texas senators remained silent Friday in the face of new sexual harassment allegations revealed in a Texas Monthly investigation.

The report focuses on the culture of the upper house in the post-#MeToo era, examining how rules meant to protect people from sexual harassment are not being enforced.

The article cites an interview with an anonymous University of Texas at Austin student who complained in 2018 that state Rep. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, sent her inappropriate text messages via an encrypted messaging app, including a photo of his penis that he called “proof of life.”

Schwertner told investigators at the time that someone had used his phone and that he had not sent the photos. A University of Texas investigation did not clear him of wrongdoing, but could not definitively prove that he had sent the message from his own phone.

Schwertner, who was arrested last year on suspicion of drunken driving, was reinstated to the Senate, where he chairs a committee and is a close ally of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

“It was really frustrating because all these people say he’s a good guy, a family man,” the woman told Texas Monthly. “There’s digital evidence, time stamps and IP addresses” on the messages. “How is this still happening?”

The article also reports a new allegation from an anonymous Senate staffer who said Schwertner followed her into a break room, hugged her and grabbed her buttocks. The staffer said he also asked her to connect with him on an encrypted messaging app.

Schwertner and his office did not respond to a request for comment.

The article reports a new allegation against Houston Democratic Sen. Borris Miles, who was previously accused of pulling out a gun at a party where he allegedly kissed a woman against her will. He was acquitted, but sued by the woman, which resulted in an out-of-court settlement.

Tayhlor Coleman, a Houston-based political consultant, said Miles touched her inappropriately when they greeted each other at a party in 2016.

“He grabbed me in his arms, slid his hand down and caressed my butt,” she told the magazine.

Miles and his office did not respond to requests for comment.

Neither Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick nor Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, a Brenham Republican, responded to requests for comment. Patrick is president of the Senate, and Kolkhorst oversaw changes to the Senate’s sexual harassment policy following a series of accusations against Texas lawmakers in 2017.

The article also goes after Thomas Larralde, a former chief of staff to Sen. José Menéndez, a Democrat from San Antonio, who sent multiple text messages to a Senate intern while he was drunk. He was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and later fired.

In response to the story, state Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos, D-Richardson, released the registration form for a self-defense class.

House Speaker Dade Phelan sent a letter to House members and staff updating them on the House’s efforts in recent years to address sexual misconduct in the building.

“The persistence of sexual harassment at the Texas Capitol is a persistent stain, perpetuated by a culture of silence and complicity,” Phelan wrote.

He also noted that he recently directed the House Business Office to hire a designated human resources specialist before the next legislative session to provide support to offices and employees.

“While no solution is perfect, the Chamber’s proactive steps continue to transform our workplace into a safer, more respectful environment that allows all of us to better serve Texans,” Phelan wrote.

Last year, the House tested its general investigative committee for the first time since it was created in the wake of the #MeToo movement. The committee investigated former state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, over allegations he plied a female staffer under the age of 21 with alcohol and had sex with her. The committee’s findings led the House to vote to expel Slaton, and the body received widespread praise for its handling of the case.

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