The muck gets deeper.
I have no idea what it is about some men with a little power who think everyone considers them sexy. I have no idea why some people drink in excess, and think the more intoxicated they become the better lovers they are sure to be as they grope themselves into the headlines of newspapers.
The actions of those type of men are just pathetic.
It is time Wisconsin Republican State Representative Bill Kramer resign his seat. There is not, given the political demographics of the district, any threat that a Democrat will take it over. But with any luck the next Republican will not be a pervert.
The former majority leader of the Assembly who was stripped of that post this week now is facing an investigation into allegations he groped a legislative staffer on a fundraising trip to Washington, D.C. last week.
Meanwhile Friday, another top lawmaker in the Assembly has also come forward as the first person to confirm the allegations against Rep. Bill Kramer.
Assembly Republicans already ousted Kramer Tuesday from the No. 2 post in their house after accusations that he inappropriately touched the staffer and sexually harassed another woman, a lobbyist, on the trip. But the ongoing inquiry into his conduct could play a substantial role in whether the Waukesha Republican decides to run for re-election — Gov. Scott Walker and others have called for him to step down if the allegations prove true.
The staffer has filed a complaint against Kramer and it is now being investigated by Mark Kaeppel, the Legislature’s human resources manager, according to a document released Friday by Assembly Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller.
In a response to an open records request for the complaint from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Fuller wrote in an email that he couldn’t release the complaint because doing so could harm the ongoing inquiry.
“The investigation is not yet concluded, and Mr. Kaeppel has several more people to interview. Disclosing the complaint at this time may undermine Mr. Kaeppel’s ability to obtain independent and forthright responses from persons yet to be interviewed and otherwise gather relevant information necessary to conduct a full and fair investigation,” Fuller wrote.
So far, only the single complaint has been filed and it deals with the events on the trip to Washington, Fuller wrote. Kaeppel didn’t return a phone call seeking comment on his interviews.
But along with the alleged victims, Kaeppel will almost certainly talk to Rep. Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna), who has acknowledged witnessing much of the alleged harassment in Washington, D.C. Steineke, the assistant majority leader in the Assembly, ranks just behind Kramer in that house.
On Wednesday, Steineke told a reporter that after the fundraiser, he went to a bar as part of a group that included Kramer, the lobbyist and the legislative staffer.
At one point, Steineke said, he heard Kramer speaking in crude terms with the lobbyist about topics such as oral sex and saw that she was visibly upset. Steineke didn’t go into details of Kramer’s remarks but said they embarrassed him and left the lobbyist “devastated” and in tears.
Steineke said he intervened and helped get the lobbyist away from Kramer. He said Kramer appeared drunk.
After that, Steineke said, he saw Kramer come up behind the legislative staffer and hug her from behind. It appeared that in doing so he grabbed her breast.
“Did I just see what I think I saw?” he asked the staffer, who confirmed to him that she had been inappropriately touched.
At that point, Steineke said he removed Kramer from the bar and called Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) about taking steps to address Kramer’s conduct and the needs of the victims.
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