Muriel Bowser’s former chief of staff engaged in sexual harassment, per internal report
Haisten Willis
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A former top aide to the mayor of Washington D.C. sexually harassed a female employee, according to an internal probe.
John Falcicchio, former chief of staff and deputy mayor to Muriel Bowser, allegedly engaged in unwanted sexual advances and sent explicit digital messages, according to the report.
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The complainant, who was not named, accused Falcicchio of eight separate allegations, two of which were substantiated, according to the report. Those two were physical sexual advances and inappropriate messages.
The other six, sexual or attracted-based favoritism, bullying by staff, demotion, retaliatory interactions, threatening behavior, and retaliatory treatment following the complaint, were found to be unsubstantiated.
The unwelcome sexual advances allegedly occurred while the woman was in Falcicchio’s apartment, and included him exposing his sexual organs, while the inappropriate messages were sent to her cellphone via thousands of SnapChat messages, and included demands for sex and graphic videos.
“Based on the foregoing, the complainant’s substantiated allegations against the Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff for the Mayor more likely than not constituted sexual harassment as defined and prohibited by Mayor’s Order 2017-313,” the report concluded.
The other accusations included Falcicchio demoting the complainant and having staff bully her after the complaint was made, though those were not substantiated by the report.
Falcicchio, 44, had been with Bowser since 2006, according to the Washington Post, and worked with her through each of her three successful mayoral campaigns. Bowser has been mayor of the nation’s capital since 2015, and her current term runs through the end of 2026.
Falcicchio resigned on March 17, a big blow to Bowser as he was widely considered her right-hand man. In a previous statement, Bowser noted that the investigation didn’t involve any allegations related to business transactions and that it would not “slow down” the city’s work.
Lindsey Parker has been hired as Bowser’s new chief of staff, while Keith Anderson is interim deputy mayor. The District of Columbia government employs 37,000 people.
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Bowser released another statement Saturday night, saying she takes “sexual harassment allegations and findings seriously and will continue to work urgently to ensure our workplaces reflect our policies and our values.”
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Falcicchio’s lawyer for comment.