Delaware County lawmaker says he won’t quit amid sex misconduct claim

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania — A Pennsylvania state consultant accused of sexual harassment mentioned Friday he isn’t resigning however has stepped down from the Judiciary Committee and plans to enter inpatient remedy of some variety.

In a letter to Home Democratic leaders, Rep. Mike Zabel of Delaware County mentioned he was “very aware of and saddened by the delicate and disturbing allegations towards me.”

A union lobbyist mentioned this week that Zabel sexually harassed her 4 years in the past. She had advised the story with out naming him in January throughout a public listening to by a bipartisan committee contemplating guidelines adjustments.

Andi Perez mentioned Zabel had caressed her leg whereas they had been discussing laws outdoors the Capitol and that he didn’t cease when she moved away from him.

Perez’s union mentioned in response that Zabel ought to resign. “We hope he will get the assistance he feels he wants, however he’s appropriate – his habits has no place within the Legislature and he ought to not be a member” of the Pennsylvania Home of Representatives, in response to the assertion by the SEIU Pennsylvania State Council.

Zabel, a Democrat first elected in 2018, didn’t reply to requests for remark Friday, however his letter to Democratic leaders referred to an unspecified sickness, saying he needed to deal with restoration.

“My sickness has brought on some habits that I remorse, and I agree that extra intervention is important for me to completely recuperate,” Zabel wrote. “I’m within the means of securing extra intensive remedy, past the outpatient remedy I’ve been receiving, and am presently working with my well being care suppliers and my household to determine an applicable inpatient program which I can be coming into as quickly as attainable.”

Zabel wrote that he intends to cooperate totally with the Home Ethics Committee “in contemplating any allegations towards me” and apologized for placing fellow Home Democrats in a “tough place.”

Democratic management launched Zabel’s letter to reporters together with their very own assertion saying “we agree that it’s applicable for him to take a step again from his work and deal with the challenges earlier than him.”

Home Republican leaders keep Zabel ought to resign.

“Whereas it’s applicable for Rep. Zabel to hunt remedy and no matter medical consideration he wants, it doesn’t remove the culpability for his actions. At this level, we’ve solely seen obfuscation, not accountability, from a Democratic caucus that has recognized about this conduct for years,” mentioned Home GOP spokesman Jason Gottesman.

Perez was unable 4 years in the past to file a grievance with the Home Ethics Committee as a result of such complaints might solely be made by the chamber’s workers, representatives and officers. Zabel voted with all his fellow Democrats this week for a package deal of 2023-24 session chamber guidelines that, amongst different issues, tremendously expands who can file these complaints.

The Related Press usually doesn’t determine individuals who say they’ve been sexually assaulted or subjected to excessive abuse. Selections on whether or not to determine those that say they’ve been subjected to different types of sexual misconduct are made on a case-by-case foundation, and Perez has spoken in public about it.

The AP discovered that since 2017, a minimum of 120 state lawmakers in 41 states have confronted public allegations of sexual misconduct or harassment. A lot of the allegations have been made after the #MeToo motion sparked a public reckoning for folks in energy accused of sexual wrongdoing.