Brian Poindexter, the Bernie Sanders-backed Democrat who defeated embattled Republican Rep. Max Miller in last week’s Ohio midterm election, is under investigation over allegations of sexual harassment.
The allegations against Poindexter, 47, were made by a campaign worker, Politico reported Friday.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Poindexter’s campaign have each launched investigations into the newly elected congressman.
“The DCCC has been made aware of the allegations and takes them seriously,” Julie Merz, the committee’s executive director, said in a statement. “In 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.”
The DCCC, the campaign arm of House Democrats, said the inquiry would be “swift, thorough and transparent” and that it would provide additional comment after the investigation concludes.
A spokesperson for Poindexter’s campaign said the allegation stemmed from an incident in which the Democrat “gave what he thought was an innocuous compliment to a volunteer.”
“He heard later that it made her feel uncomfortable and he felt awful,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the campaign is working with an outside firm “to get to the bottom of it.”
Poindexter, a union ironworker and former city councilman in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, defeated Miller by roughly 10 percentage points in the race to represent Ohio’s 7th Congressional District.
The incumbent had been embroiled in a bitter child custody dispute with his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno. She had accused Miller of physical abuse and said he posed a danger to their young child.
Miller has vehemently denied his ex-wife’s allegations.
Poindexter also faced controversy during his campaign. He had previously been arrested after allegedly swallowing crack cocaine during a 1998 traffic stop.
In 2013, Poindexter was arrested again after allegedly slapping a stranger “for no known reason,” the Washington Free Beacon reported.