Brian Poindexter, the Bernie Sanders-backed Democrat who beat embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller, in last weekâs midterm election in Ohio, is being investigated for sexual harassment.
The allegations against Poindexter, 47, were leveled by a campaign worker, Politico reported Friday.
Investigations into the newly elected congressman have been launched by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Poindexterâs campaign.
âThe DCCC has been made aware of the allegations and takes them seriously,â Julie Merz, the executive director of the DCCC, said in a statement. âIn the interest of fairness to all parties involved, we have hired an independent, third-party firm to investigate any instance of inappropriate behavior, conduct interviews and gather the facts.â
The DCCC, which is the campaign arm for House Democrats, said the probe would be âswift, thorough and transparent,â and that it would have further comment once the investigation is completed.
A Poindexter campaign spokesperson attributed the allegation to an instance where the Democrat “gave what he thought was an innocuous compliment to a volunteer.â
âHe heard later that it made her feel uncomfortable and he felt awful,” the spokesperson said in a statement, which noted the campaign is working with an outside firm “to get to the bottom of it.”
Poindexter, a union ironworker who served as a city councilman in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, beat Miller by about 10 percentage points in the race to represent Ohioâs 7th congressional district.
The incumbent had been embroiled in a nasty child custody battle with his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who is the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno and had accused Miller of physical abuse and being a danger to their young child.
Miller has vehemently denied his ex-wifeâs claims.
Meanwhile, Poindexter had his own controversies to navigate on the campaign trail, having previously been arrested for allegedly swallowing crack cocaine during a 1998 traffic stop.
In 2013, Poindexter was arrested again, for allegedly slapping a stranger âfor no known reason,â the Washington Free Beacon reported.
