“It’s a certified terrible frat house.”
That's how yet another victim of persistent sexual harassment describes the Illinois General Assembly.
One of the very rabidly anti-gun members of the Illinois House, Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang was named and shamed at today's news conference by Maryanne Loncar. Lang, the sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment legislation, liked the 51-year-old Loncar. Supposedly, he pursued her with unwanted advances for ten years, even calling her ex-husband at home along with her current husband if I understand the rapid fire answers at today's presser.
According to the complaint, most of the incidents happened at the Lincoln Lounge and the Globe Room (Globe Tavern?).
1. Lang reportedly told Loncar's ex-husband that "I can bury her if you want".
2. Lang put his hand on upper rear end and said to Loncar, "Does you husband know how lucky he is to have a wife like you?"
3. He called her late in the evening: "I would have dinner with you if you weren't with your husband."
4. Lang worked to isolate, discredit and blackball the woman from Springfield. "You aren't allowed back here," Lang allegedly told her after Loncar repeatedly rebuffed Deputy Majority Leader Lang.
Additionally, Lang sits on the Legislative Ethics Commission. In that role, he decides which complaints to the Legislative Ethics Commission investigates. Not surprisingly, 27 complaints against legislators have gone uninvestigated.
Reporters at the hearing certainly grilled the woman in an adversarial manner.
Here's the press release, from Capitol Fax:
