Accessibility links

Breaking News

Senate Panel Adviser, Facing Harassment Allegations, Steps Aside


Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, right, speaks with Garrett Ventry, an adviser to the committee, left, on Capitol Hill, Sept. 19, 2018, in Washington. NBC News has reported that Ventry, who has been assisting in the committee's response to a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, has "stepped down amid evidence he was fired from a previous political job in part because of a sexual harassment allegation against him."
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, right, speaks with Garrett Ventry, an adviser to the committee, left, on Capitol Hill, Sept. 19, 2018, in Washington. NBC News has reported that Ventry, who has been assisting in the committee's response to a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, has "stepped down amid evidence he was fired from a previous political job in part because of a sexual harassment allegation against him."

A communications adviser helping lead the Senate Judiciary Committee's response to allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has stepped down over allegations of his own sexual misconduct.

A spokesman for the committee said Saturday that Garrett Ventry, 29, had resigned as an aide to committee Chairman Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican.

Ventry was "one of several temporary staff brought on to assist in the committee's consideration of the Supreme Court nomination," the spokesman said. "While he strongly denies allegations of wrongdoing, he decided to resign to avoid causing any distraction from the work of the committee."

NBC reported that Ventry also resigned Saturday from the public relations company where he was employed, having taken a temporary leave of absence to work with the Judiciary Committee. The report quoted a company spokesman for CC Public Relations confirming Ventry's resignation.

NBC also reported that Ventry was fired from a previous position in the office of North Carolina House Majority Leader John Bell because a female employee of the North Carolina General Assembly accused him of sexual harassment. Bell confirmed to NBC that Ventry worked in his office but he did not confirm the reason for his departure.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG