Nine US lawmakers have been forced to quit their posts over sexual abuse charges or workplace misconduct in the past six months, with the recent resignation of a Pennsylvania Republican congressman being the latest instance.
The Pennsylvania lawmaker, Representative Patrick Meehan announced Friday that he would resign from Congress immediately following reports that he had paid a secret settlement – or ‘hush money’ – to a staffer “who he allegedly confessed his love to,” The Washington Post reported Saturday, noting that Meehan had stated in January that he would retire near the conclusion of his current term in December but he decided to resign now as congressional ethics probe into his case “heats up.”
Since numerous sexual abuse allegations against Jewish Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein surfaced in 2017, the so-called #MeToo era has brought down some of the most powerful public figures in American…