What if I told you that Congressmen settled over 250 sexual harassment lawsuits using taxpayer money, and there was no way to find out who these Congressmen were? Would you believe me?
The truth is that the situation is as described in the question. For decades members of Congress would use your taxpayer dollars to buy their way out of bad publicity. (Read, She Said A Powerful Congressman Harassed Her. Here’s Why You Didn’t Hear Her Story.)
When a member of Congress was accused of sexual harassment, the case went to a secret courtknown as the Office of Compliance. Hidden from public view, Congress’s Office of Compliance paid out over $17 million for 264 settlements involving misconduct and sexual harassment. (Read, Over the past 20 Years, Congress has paid out $17.2 million in settlements.)