Defiant Grossberg says he’s not resigning, but seeking treatment for impulsive behavior
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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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Kentucky State Rep. Daniel Grossberg continues to deny all allegations of wrongdoing in the wake of additional Herald-Leader reporting detailing sexual misconduct at a Louisville strip club.
Grossberg is, however, seeking treatment for his behavior, he told News Radio 840 WHAS in Louisville Friday afternoon.
“Again, I apologize to anyone who I have made uncomfortable. Their voices deserve to be heard,” WHAS’s Terry Meiners posted on social media. “Similarly, I deserve due process so that I can respond to these allegations in the appropriate venue. I look forward to doing so, under oath, during the legislative ethics inquiry.”
Grossberg added that he is “in treatment to help reduce my impulsive behavior going forward — and I will keep my head down and continue working to serve my constituents.”
The comments came after the lawmaker and his attorney, Frankfort-based litigator Anna Whites, spent much of the day denying the allegations laid out in Herald-Leader reporting and casting doubt of their veracity.
Late Thursday night, Whites provided the Herald-Leader with a statement, once again, denying sexual harassment or abuse of office.
The Herald-Leader sent Whites a list of specific allegations uncovered in the newspaper’s reporting, including sources who said the freshman lawmaker had been banned for life from Foxys Gentlemens Club for touching a dancer without her consent, as well as offering to pay another dancer there up to $5,000 for sex this past winter.
“Like many people my age, I have been to adult clubs, including Foxy’s,” Grossberg said in a statement provided by Whites. “I have never solicited prostitution from anyone, nor have I referenced my office to gain advantage.
“The allegations get more outlandish with each story, but they won’t stop me from continuing to work tirelessly to serve my constituents.”
The Herald-Leader followed up by asking Whites if Grossberg was saying the seven sources journalists interviewed a total of 13 times were “lying about what happened on those occasions?”
“You have our statement,” Whites responded.
Since the Herald-Leader story published Friday morning, the calls for Grossberg’s resignation have surged.
Among those saying he should step down: Gov. Andy Beshear, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge, the Kentucky House of Representatives Democratic Caucus, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, State Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, Louisville Democratic Party Chair Logan Gatti.
And on Saturday, the Kentucky Democratic Party announced it was banning Grossberg from party events and called for his resignation.
“Given Representative Grossberg’s disturbing record of misconduct, the Kentucky Democratic Party’s State Central Executive Committee passed a resolution that calls for his resignation and prohibits him from attending Kentucky Democratic Party events,” party spokesman Jonathan Levin said in a statement Saturday.
“As KDP Chair (Colmon) Elridge said, Representative Grossberg has repeatedly proven that he is unfit to serve and must resign from office immediately.”
According to Whites, Grossberg has no plans to leave office.
“Rep. Grossberg plans to continue to serve in the role he was elected to and looks forward to a public hearing to rebut the false allegations against him,” she said via text message to the Herald-Leader early Friday afternoon.
According to WAVE 3 News in Louisville, Whites told the station the allegations are “demonstrably false” and that Grossberg is spending time with his family and rabbi while the investigation continues.
Whites told the Kentucky Lantern they do not “intend to attack or disparage witnesses in the paper, but definitely look forward to both the ethics process and any other means of correcting what we see as inaccuracies or false statements in some of the Herald-Leader reporting.”
Executive Editor Richard Green said the Herald-Leader stands by its stories.
“Two seasoned, well-regarded reporters have conducted dozens of interviews, reviewed more than 150 texts and social media messages and listened to women involved in Frankfort politics and Louisville strip clubs who courageously told us of their troubling interactions with Rep. Grossberg,” Green said.
“Our reporting has been fair, factual and will continue as more courageous women come forward and share their stories with us.”
A number of other groups and Kentucky Democrats had called for Grossberg’s resignation before Friday. That includes the Kentucky Young Democrats, the Louisville Young Democrats, the Lexington Young Democrats, former Grossberg campaign staffer Mary Wurtz, Sixth Congressional District Democratic nominee Randy Cravens, Democratic operative Jason Perkey and co-host of My Old Kentucky Podcast Robert Kahne.
Laura Leigh Goins, a spokesperson for the House Republicans, said Friday that Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, “will not comment on an ongoing investigation.”
In addition to being banned from a Louisville strip club for life as a result of reportedly attempting to touch a dancer’s genitals just weeks after trying to solicit sex from another employee, the Herald-Leader has also previously reported:
- He’d sent text messages to three women in Kentucky politics that they described as “weird” or “creepy,” including a group text in which he suggested two of the women join him for a “lesbian-themed movie night” that involved “lesbian baking” and “pajamas.” He described how “beautiful” one woman was, and remarked on another’s “exotic” appearance.
- In 2003, Grossberg wrote a satirical advice column at Grinnell College under the name “Sketchy Dan,” where he recommended that “lonely,” “horny” and “creepy” young men aggressively pursue women on campus, even if the women weren’t interested. A former student government leader on campus told the Herald-Leader he spoke to administrators about complaints about Grossberg because he had been “contacted by so many of my female peers that I tried to see if there was anything student government could do to represent their concerns.”
- Grossberg drank multiple shots of bourbon in his Frankfort office and went on to ask a young trans activist, Emma Curtis, about her genitals, her sex life and whether she had gender-reassignment surgery. Curtis, initially granted anonymity by the Herald-Leader, came forward in a Sept. 19 op-ed column, saying she’s been threatened by at least one Grossberg supporter who said they would “destroy” her political career.
- A 26-year-old woman in Democratic politics shared several different occasions in 2024, in person, through texts and in other messaging apps, where Grossberg repeatedly made comments she considered harassing or threatening. He asked questions about her sexual orientation and expressed serious romantic interest, she said. She also said Grossberg told her if she were to learn what his porn preferences were, “I would never forgive him,” she recounted in a text to a friend. He also “relentlessly” asked for nude photos. She also later publicly identified herself as Sarah Ritter, a former Democratic House candidate in District 93 in Lexington.
- A third woman — bringing the total number of women making claims against him at the time to six — said Grossberg called her “beautiful.” He added he had a “crush” on her and would say he loved her. That woman has since revealed herself to be Allison Wiseman, president of the Kentucky Young Democrats. Wiseman wrote she “cannot stress enough” how she wished not to be subjected to those comments “by a married man almost twice my age.”
This story was originally published September 20, 2024 at 3:20 PM.
