State Ethics Commission votes to continue investigation into Rep. Grossberg
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Investigation into Louisville Rep. Daniel Grossberg
A Herald-Leader investigation into allegations of sexual harassment involving Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville, revealed he intimidated and harassed multiple women in and around Kentucky politics. He also was allegedly aggressive and threatening toward dancers in a Louisville strip club.
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The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission has voted unanimously to move forward in its investigation into State Rep. Daniel Grossberg.
After a closed-door session Tuesday morning where members discussed “confidential complaints” against Grossberg, the commission publicly voted 8-0 to launch a formal probe into the Louisville Democrat’s conduct.
The decision to investigate Grossberg means there was “reason to believe (Grossberg) has committed or is about to commit a violation” of the state ethics code, Commission Chair Dave Nicholas said.
“This determination means only that the alleged violations merit further inquiry and is not a finding that (Grossberg) has violated the ethics code,” he said.
The commission voted to do so in response to a complaint from House Democratic leadership against Grossberg.
While the commission publicly identified the vote only by case number, a source familiar with the investigation confirmed to the Herald-Leader the vote pertained to Grossberg.
The 45-year-old lawmaker has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women via reporting in the Herald-Leader beginning in late July. The women detailed their experiences with the lawmaker and provided text messages corroborating their accounts.
Inappropriate interactions with women was one of several aspects of the complaint House Democratic leadership filed against Grossberg.
Grossberg’s camp has already offered public retorts to many of the allegations brought forth in House Democrats’ letter. Other aspects of the complaint include allegations of improper behavior related to fundraising calls, a car purchase, harassing messages and more.
After learning of the commission’s unanimous decision to investigate, Grossberg’s attorney, Anna Whites, said Tuesday she and her client are “looking forward to the name clearing we requested.”
She added, “For the public process to work as the legislature intended, claims in a complaint must be truthful and accurate.”
Herald-Leader reporting on Grossberg has featured stories and messages shared by six different women.
In one story published last month, the Herald-Leader reported on two women who received inappropriate, harassing or sexually-tinged messages from Grossberg. A third woman in the story recounted an incident of alleged sexual harassment in Grossberg’s office wherein he consumed multiple alcoholic drinks in front of her and asked questions about her genitals and sex life.
In a statement responding to the commission’s decision, the House Democratic caucus expressed faith in the process.
“The House Democratic Caucus voted earlier this summer to initiate the complaint against state Representative Daniel Grossberg, so we appreciate the Legislative Ethics Commission’s unanimous decision today to investigate,” a spokesperson for the caucus wrote.
“Our caucus believes that the commission is the best venue to resolve this matter, and we stand ready to work with that agency as this case now officially moves forward.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2024 at 12:32 PM.
