An Army lieutenant and former lobbyist said that a drunk Rep. Tom Reed of New York sexually harassed her when she was a junior lobbyist in 2017, the Associated Press and Reuters reported on Saturday.
Nicolette Davis said Reed put his hand on her back, unhooked her bra, and then moved his hand to her thigh, inching upward, in an Irish pub in Minneapolis during a fundraising trip. She was 25 years old then, and Reed was 45.
A frightened Davis, who was on her first trip as a junior lobbyist for insurance company Aflac, texted a friend and co-worker that "a drunk congressman is rubbing my back. Help Help!"
Reed flatly denied the accusations in a statement to The Washington Post, saying, "This account of my actions is not accurate." He told journalists on Capitol Hill, "we issued a statement" when pressed on the matter further on Friday.
Jessica Strieter Elting, the Aflac co-worker Davis texted, confirmed to The Post that Davis both texted her at the time and recounted more details when she returned, saying Davis was "really shaken by it."
Davis also reported the incident, at the time, to her supervisor at Aflac, then-vice president, and counsel Brad Knox.
Reed, now 49, was first elected to Congress in 2010 and has gained a reputation of being a moderate Republican willing to work with Democrats on some issues.
Reed has been a vocal critic of Democrat New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and said he's considering running for governor in 2022 as Cuomo faces multiple sexual harassment claims.
Cuomo has been publicly accused of sexual harassment by seven women, including three former aides, a former staffer, a reporter, and a woman who attended a wedding along with Cuomo in 2019.
State Sen. George Borrello, a Republican representing the 57th District, said the accusations against Reed merits investigation.
"The allegations made against Congressman Tom Reed, like all sexual harassment allegations, should be taken seriously," Borrello said in remarks quoted by Democrat & Chronicle.
