Washington journal continues. Host elena schor joining us she covers o, congress. Here to talk about a hearing looking at today Sexual Harassment in congress. Genesis of it. He take a broad look at arassment on capitol hill, comes as multiple outlets, my wn, New York Times, washington post, associated press, tally the sheer number of tell. S that women have to some anonymously, some not, about experiences on the job. Extremely pervasive and this is a cultural moment coming to washington after start the ng hollywood with Harvey Weinstein scandal and ther celebrity that have touched the media and tech industry. Host what kind of numbers are talking . Guest it is tough to tell, that is part of the problem. Ere at politico, we are covering push to reform the system. Know is 15 harassment complaints were filed with the office of compliance, which is hill harassment and workplace misconduct policing office, basically. Instance, the New York Times interviewed 50 folks for and we ory today alone ourselves have many stories we have printed. It is pervasive. Walk us through the process, if someone has a charge of Sexual Harassment, walk us the process on capitol hill . Guest before you can file a complaint, even formally, you go through a mandated period. Ing and mediation this is controversial among victims and victim advocates for several reasons. Office of compliance says were admin sterg the law that created us. Training. Ndatory we want more freedom to sort of give victims a bigger role process, but theyre going by the book, which reason why all are calling for reform. During this mandatory mediation period, say, it is feasible that lleged victim could be in the same room as the alleged arasser or coworkers of the alleged harasser who talk about the victims allegations. His can be psychologically damaging environment. It is true a victim can request to not be in the same room, but you think about the age of some victims, early 20s and heir first job on the hill, its extremely intimidating and there is so much fear of retaliation. Continue in our conversation, if you want to learn more about the currents comes to sexual charges. Nt 2027488000 for women to call. 2027488001 for men to call. Cspan wj. Mediation takes place. Oes that resolve the issue or other step . Guest the ultimate goal is to settle the issue without taking it to court. The last recourse is filing a federal court if the victims feel their concerns havent been addressed. Know that about 69 settlements between fiscal year current fiscal year were filed totaling 2. 9 million. Types of harassment, we dont know how many of the 69 harassment, versus based on religious beliefs or nashlt. That is are saying public money going to settlements tis confidential offices involved never get named, it is time to name and shame. Congressman ple is tim murphy, who was recently resign over serious personal problems of his own. Politico uncovered systemic problem with harassment, not sexual, but really abusive work behaviors. Of members turn to staff and it stays under the radar. Host your colleague, rachel, talking about this said one issue is each office is a feast with its own policy true . H of the is that guest absolutely. Yes. What offices like to say, 535 of them inesses, each have their own policies. Now we talk to pretty much the and we actually found as senate was passing andatory Sexual Harassment training, many fnot majority, were requiring it or moving in themselves. On of course, it was impossible for senate to know its own members in this direction already because of the systems. Corporate world, Sexual Harassment is a mandatory not taking place on capitol hill . Guest no. Ust on thursday passed mandatory training for member and aides and that is a big deal. Resistance hear among certain members, why should i take this training, it the r my aides, they are problem. The house has yet to act, todays hearing and seenistration committee is as important. Host is that the standard amongst the federal office d. C. . Sary washington, guest Sexual Harassment train something host yes. Guest of some sort. I cant tell you 100 require it r it is voluntary, but it is the standard. Host lets take calls. Florida, keith is up next, elena politico, keith, good morning, go ahead. Caller good morning, thank you answer our re to questions. Can you hear me . Guest sure. Reality. We s eed to teach our kids that there is no job or money or worth being s assaulted, male and female. The reality of it, this has been on since the beginning of man and woman and the government on this for ing years. Now hollywood and sitcoms, a joke out of Sexual Harassment constantly. Courses and everything. The reality of it is that women to stand up at the time. You need to learn failure and be to start your life over. The last woman that gets ssaulted by the man host caller, i think you are fade nothing and out, well leave it at that. Point about women needing to stand up is a valid one. Senator brand and congressman spear, the folks on the hill working on this, say, that is what were trying to do with this bill. There is a bill being introduced this week to broadly reform the process and create confidential office of the compliance, the theory being, these woman, in order to stand resource they can guarantee wont pass information back to the employer. Betweenat is time frame the start of the process and end of the process typically . Typically three months, including mandatory period before a complaint can be acted on. Host go to california, cynthia is next, good morning, cynthia, youre on. Good morning. Thank you for letting me express my opinion. I believe that these women are coming forward now because they environment ent make its safe for them. I applaud them for doing that. I dont think they have anything to gain by being on t. V. And alking about it if it hadnt happened to them. Happened to me quite a few years ago, so i think it is great and i hope that the whole environment is changing now, where women will feel safe, or matter, coming out these people some of the treatment and getting them people harming them in the work place and they also dont believe that people should be in Public Office if they are doing these things to people and their power and harming their employees and people them. Host elena schor . Guest well, the caller make omes really good points and seems to subtly refer to the roy moore scandal, which did not senates quick move to create mandatory training. Of course, the alleged victims moore were not subordinates in the work place, but nonetheless, it helped raise awareness and sensitivity among republicans who arent really accustomed to speaking about these kinds of issues. Listen to Senate Majority leader believe the ing, i unequivocal y clear statement fight withing alleged victims, thats a big deal. To filer those who wish charges on capitol hill, is it clear they can go to a series of get this rder to process done or where to start the process . Guest mostly, no. Be fair to want to the office of compliance, they havent had much of a budget doing more theyre and more and more work. That said, they are under raise their ure to own profile and since politico and New York Times and started to post write about this, office of here, nce, hey, we are come by and take this training. It is hard for them because it mandatory until thursday and only on one side of the capitol. Terms ofds are tied in impressing upon aides that they are available. From john is next, john is new jersey, good morning. Caller good morning, sir. Is no clear holesome work place harassment policy, it is held over everybody like a veiled, vague trend. What is it . It might be a look, might be a and re, very sad hypocritical and needs to be specialty out very clear and and the vast majority of people do not commit it. Shouldnt be held like everybody else. Thank you. Dnigz of a schor, the harassment, is that clearly efine . Ed guest actually it is not. Every system can set own of harassment. Some offices go far further than thers, saying a suggestive picture hung up in your cubicle, a joke that is racially that is harassment of anyone listening to the joke mchlt offices take a much cleaner and less specific approach. Host from illinois, tonya, good morning, youre on with our guest. Go ahead. Caller good morning. My call. For taking because i wasptsd sexually abused as a child. Raped by a grown man and reason why you dont say nothing is because youre afraid, you feel ashamed, you it is your fault. So i believe those women, those are not lying and also, it is not that i didnt try to do my life, i went to college and i have a masters a ree and then when i got job, i was under a man and he me, i got rassed retraumatized again and had to reporting you know, him at work and it it makes you got to amed, prove it and it is very ifficult for women to come forward. So when people say why did they wait, why did they wait . Is hard to talk about. I see a erapy and psychiatrist, but this stuff is happens. , this i was sexually abused at the age of four years old, four years that was not my fault. So, i just want to say that shame women nt to or men who come forward, shame on them. You. Guest well, thanks to the caller for sharing her story. Lot of itself takes a courage. Shes right, it is not her fault. It is not your fault. I talk to senator illibrand, she has been active on Sexual Assault in the military and campuses, before this. Pointed to a survey, getting republicans onboard to repair military, a n the survey said 59 of females in sexual tary reported assault felt they were retaliated against. When the caller talks about the big concern in other institutions, if we change the system, there is still this is no way to police that happens. On host your stories democratic womens proposal expect to require Public Disclosure of congressional offices if they happens. Ed a settlement, can you host your stories democratic expand on that . Guest yes, it is about an sparency, if there is office like congressman murphy, deter behavior is to name the offices. Complaints are filed, put it out identify it. And there is nondisclosure requirement, few people know here, i talked about this pot of money available, taxpayer adjudicate settlements. Condition for going through the process, right now, alleged victims have to sign nondisclosure to not talk about their experience. For some people, that can be beneficial, some victims want to career, but their once they talk about it, google has hundreds of hit of their that is painful for future employers. Make he women want to do, it optional. Let an alleged victim decide how story. Nt to tell their host transparency is expected to get pushback. Is a well, congress selfprotected institution, bound by tradition, it is not personal change, but any change is bound to get pushback. North nne marie, in carolina, calling. Hello, go ahead, you are on. Caller hi, good morning. All, pedro, i want to apologize for how you were ago, a several months guy called in and started yelling at you. You are north of the border, i wanted to say im sorry that you had to put up like that. Ing host appreciate that, caller. Go ahead. Of sexual the point harassment, i worked in one of the u. S. Attorneys offices in the country. All from 1985 to 2007, we had videos and sign off hat we saw, certain films or whatever, on Sexual Harassment, what it was, how to identify it, blah, blah, blah. One thing that not a lot of eople talk about is, it certainly is about sex and other thing is i but arassed, not sexually, more like violent thing. The man i worked for, assistant attorney, who would slam when i made a wl typo, slam phones, slam doors was always when no one else was around. Comes under lso Sexual Harassment, the bullying look who we have in the white house, nothing but a big bully. Elena schor, ive seen you on bill press show periodically on free speech t. V. People need to check out free speech t. V. Thanks for your time, appreciate it. Guest so, the caller makes a great point about types of harassment. A lot of ways, hostile Work Environment and all of them are 1995 law that created office of compliance. E were talking about Sexual Harassment, because harvey einstein, tim murphy, another proof this happens in many different forms and on all eforms being proposed to the system, cover those types of harassment, as well. Debate over roy moore, change the dynamics of this conversation on capitol hill . Mean, if moore is elected to the senate, there will be a move to expel him, take over the news cycle. Absolutely it will, because roy oore has become a cultural symbol of the negative side of behavior. Of host to memphis, tennessee, ashley, next up, good morning. Thank you for taking my call. I was just going to say that who going to hold these people accountable if they are charged harassment . A third party that people can even complaint to and then who is going to take them out of congress or the senate, know . Who holds them accountable . Ost what is ultimate punishment then . Guest she raises a great question. The office of compliance is that Third Party Entity who can field the complaints. Employees, happens to oftentimes senior staff in an office, you cant kick them out be the ess, it has to lawmaker to fire them. You saw a great example in brenda lawrence, wwho reported on. Leader of the antiharassment push, turned out women in her been having a very tough time with a senior staff fully and she wasnt aware of the situation, so ultimately she put the senior leave, remains to be seen if he will be fired. Because of every office is a a lot of ness nature, cases, it is up to the member of congress to decide. Fired, the person is could they file legal challenges and complicate the process there . Guest certainly. Can happen. Nything talking to lawyers involved in this process, lawyers for actually as long as you have a good lawyer, the process isnt as bad as it is to be. T the thing is, that is not cheap and folks are very young. Host mike in connecticut, hello, go ahead. Caller hello. Ahead. Oure on, go caller my name is mike from connecticut. Confused. F on one hand, toughest men are cops, were firemen, Fighter Pilots and can do anything a man do, yet delicate flowers. E said something to me, im so upset, i need medication, i i wish they could make up their mind. I learned in high school, if you woman against men, they will take your country. It could someone explain to me, tough or delicate flowers . Guest well, im pretty sure tough and are both occasionally delicate. For that matter, so are men, of harassment es are filed by men, not something gender. Ows men can be sexually harassed on the job. Have clearer t to rules so we can understand better what actually constitutes harassment. There is confusion clearly. Florida, hello. Caller hi. How you doing . Make a brief to remark, first of all, i think what a lot of women go through and i sympathize. Want to make one point, though, about more general kinds job, i sment on the would call bullying harassment. I have been living in the state 1989. Rida since state, in antiunion which employers, bosses have aximum power over labor, over workers, employees, and workers power or clout. I have worked for temporary remember own here, i one job they sent me on back in the 1990s. I worked for was a younger man than i was. Stuff and he would literally he would throw, took threw it er and against the wall he got so he as there was something disturbed about this guy. Had to call the temporary i dont want to continue working here, there is something wrong with this guy. They argueed with me, i was technically working for the temporary agency. Im sure women go through this probably 10 times or 100 times more than men and it also has a sexual component to they argueed with me, i was technically working for the temporary agency. Im sure women go throughit. So im not making excuses for saying bullying and Sexual Harassment probably go are her, where women concerned and also caller, leave it there. Guest i think the caller makes quite a lot of fair points. Describing in his work place is the same sort of emotional stress and psychological intimidation that make its tougher for people in junior positions to speak up, no matter gender. Host from pennsylvania, tom is next. Aller yes, i think as reporter, you should be asking Senate Republicans that dont roy moore what anita hill . She still stands by her story f. Were going down this rabbit is anitaele like who elect elected, disregard the role of the peep and he will play by our own rules, go to the hill. Guest im not sure what the caller means about asking senate hill. Licans about anita i dont know if all viewers know, she wasele elect elected, accuser of Justice Clarence thomas during the confirmation process in 1988. She is actually recently spoken p and said this moment culturally about Sexual Harassment is something i never faced a lot of skepticism and criticism, including from senate did take s, but they her up to the hill and hear her testimony. Ost from new jersey, mir, go ahead. Caller yeah, im thinking this ime thing is validation not saying they are not true, they do sound a little true, but details describing are too clear for somebody to remember clarity from 40 ago. Host caller, you there . Caller hello. Going. O ahead, keep caller yeah. If these things happened more years ago, how exactly that, i think whether it is true or not, may be true, i think the details are completely fabricated, the details have to be fake. Mean, i assume again, the caller is talking about moore. S of roy certainly there are interviews with victims of Sexual Assault how many esnt matter years pass by when you experience trauma on that level, the details stick with you. To say more beyond that. Host Committee Hearing on the house side, after this, where do go and what legislative efforts will we see . Gillibrand and r are expectedie this week and testifying about proposals. Where we go next is frankly anyones guess. We have a story on politico. Com, that examines possibilities. Senator amy this week and testifying about proposals. Here we go next isklobachar isp democrat on the rules committee, as power on making further changes. She has convened a working combrup, her goal is to get in, because to buy doing forms is great, we have to pass something. She has but not a lot. Host who are allies then . Now its chairman Chuck Grassley on judiciary 1995 lawe, he wrote the that created the office of compliance, he takes personal in updating it and shelly moore capito, from west virginia, is on the rules committee. Host the house side, any republican buyins or supporters of the effort . Greekt congre congressman speeer is get nine house republicans, including congressman costello to sign on her bill. Hello. Obert in virginia, caller how you doing . Thank you for cspan, love listening to you. My concern with roy, obviously with the sexual abuse, is seems like everybody accused lost for. Caller how you doing . Thank you for cspan, love like theyre already found guilty and were accusing the gentleman or whoever accused of sexual being ent of already guilty before the trial and telling them to step down or whomever it is, like not getting due process. I feel that they should. That is my comment. Guest well, due process depends the forum in which alleged offense occurs. In congress, due process is mostly beyond closed doors, really no way for folks like you and i to know how the are handled by the office. For roy moore, the statute of limitations had expired for these offensives these women are of. Sing him to say they should have come forward at the time, these are didnt men who likely realize until they grew older exactly the nature of the offense. To try everyone in a court of law tis not possible at this point. And what happens on house senate side when it comes to charges of what is being debated hearing, ated and the that would change due process so to speak. Yes, exactly. By signing more spotlights on who is called complaints. Ffice of host glen in birmingham, alabama, go ahead. Caller yes, good morning. Of all, i would like to say this. Mediaick and tired of the with their they love roy moore in alabama, please. Dont. And there is a lot of people that dont, either. I want to say this. Men, not the one that just called, women want to hear about were ocess, these children, these were children, teenage girls. Know how hard it is for women to come out against men . Rful you are already saying, if, if, f, these republican men, these are the most spineless, i dont see how a woman could be married man right now. That are spineless wimps were not right. Host gw enn, alabama. Final thoughts on the process on capitol hill and what you expect from it. Alonging to see speier can d and get on board. Two members will go a long way toward getting air time, final word, i think it incredibly hard to go beyond mandatory training. Host