McKinley Hit With Two-Year-Old Harassment Complaint

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by: Colorado Pols

For the second time this legislative session, Rep. Wes McKinley’s tongue is at the center of an ethics complaint.

This time, he’s accused of slipping it into the mouth of a female lobbyist without her consent. The first complaint, initiated last month by McKinley, D-Walsh, accused a male lobbyist of voicing a threat to cut out his “lying tongue” and stuff it down his “lying throat.”

“It didn’t happen,” McKinley said, unrattled and dismissive of the complaint against him. “One week a lobbyist is threatening to cut my tongue out and put it down my throat; now they’re saying I’m kissing them.”

…Denver lawyer Jessica Peck Corry said she represents a woman who has filed a sexual harassment complaint against McKinley with the Executive Committee.

Corry said her client, a lobbyist who insists on remaining anonymous to this point, accused McKinley of groping and kissing her during a meeting in downtown Denver over a bill involving medical issues in 2007.

“She was in such shock (at being grabbed) that before she could push Rep. McKinley away, he kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth,” Corry said.

Asked why McKinley’s accuser delayed reporting her allegations for more than two years, Corry said she put the interests of the group she lobbied for ahead of her own, and was worried she would lose McKinley’s vote. Corry said if the Executive Committee acts on the complaint, her client will reveal her identity “when it’s appropriate or necessary.” For now, she fears retaliation…

Scuttlebutt from the Capitol suggests this one is considered to be a little strange–in January of 2008, if you recall, then-Assistant Majority Leader Michael Garcia faced allegations that he sexually harassed a lobbyist only a couple of weeks before, and quickly resigned both his leadership position and House seat. It seems kind of odd that another such victim would sit quietly through Garcia’s swift destruction and not say something about this alleged incident, but that’s why we have a process for these things.

12 thoughts on “McKinley Hit With Two-Year-Old Harassment Complaint”

Middle of the Road says:

May 4, 2010 at 5:50 pm

Jessica Peck Corry–there’s a fun gal with a colorful background.

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1. JeffcoBlue says:
  
  May 4, 2010 at 6:04 pm
  
  The idea that Jessica Corry is fronting a sexual harassment accusation, especially one over two years stale with every appearance of frivolity, is very disgusting to me on a personal level.
  
  Start finding out why here: 2005CR004142 (criminal case number)
  
  Continue finding out why here:
  
  http://www.rockymountainnews.c…
  
  And here, as the California State Bar explains his recent disbarment:
  
  Corry pleaded guilty to misdemeanor third degree assault in 2006 after an incident during a dinner party at his home. A guest who suffered from narcolepsy fell asleep in a guest bedroom and when she awakened, she discovered Corry touching her shoulder, waist and hips. He was charged with two counts of felony sexual assault and misdemeanor unlawful sexual contact.
  
  As part of a plea agreement, Corry pleaded guilty to the assault charge and the other three counts were dismissed.
  
  Corry was sentenced to 60 days in jail, was released early for good behavior and is undergoing treatment for substance abuse.
  
  I’ve said it over and over, to friends, to people I know in the medical marijuana community: stay away from them. Nobody listens, Corry steals headlines from others, even John Suthers is willing to share the stage with this man. And Jessica is able to do something like this, with no questions asked? It’s so incredibly gross.
  
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  1. The realist says:
    
    May 4, 2010 at 6:12 pm
    
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  2. Voyageur says:
    
    May 4, 2010 at 10:20 pm
    
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  3. Voyageur says:
    
    May 4, 2010 at 10:22 pm
    
    I’d note that the sexual misconduct charge involved Bob Corry, not his wife. It in no way reflects badly on Jessica, unless you’re talking about her taste in men. But MY wife could be attacked on those grounds.;-)
    
    Personally, while Jessica is well to the right of me politically, I find her to be ethically above board and a good mother besides.
    
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2. allyncooper says:
  
  May 4, 2010 at 6:08 pm
  
  Jessica Peck Corry, affiliated with the Independence Institute. Her expertise appears to be in property rights and campus accountability (whatever that is) per the II website. A little strange she would be representing someone in an alleged sexual harrassment matter.
  
  So what do you know MOR? Inquiring minds want to know……
  
  “I did not have tongue with that woman!”
  
  Rep. Wes McKinley
  
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BlueCat says:

May 4, 2010 at 6:44 pm

C’mon! Whether it happened or not the woman has forfeited any credibility here. If it happened and she made the decision to let it slide then because “…she put the interests of the group she lobbied for ahead of her own, and was worried she would lose McKinley’s vote” that was her choice. Too late to transform herself into poor little victim on second thought two years later. Assuming she got the vote she wanted, sounds like they were made for each other.

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1. Ralphie says:
  
  May 4, 2010 at 7:30 pm
  
  I’m always a little loath to question the credibility of the woman.
  
  The lapse of nearly three years will make the allegation difficult to prove, however. Witnesses move on, memories get fuzzy, etc. It may even result in a finding by the executive committee of no probable cause.
  
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  1. BlueCat says:
    
    May 4, 2010 at 7:55 pm
    
    and she explained why she was willing to put up with it then, if it in fact happened. This is not a highschool girl coming forward two years later over a teacher she needed a passing grade from taking liberties. I’m unmoved by her alleged plight.
    
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Littletonian says:

May 4, 2010 at 10:31 pm

because I shouldn’t speculate on anything like that. But I can’t see a situation in which the political fallout from this doesn’t kill Rep. McKinley’s career.

If he’s guilty – whatever, he deserves it.

If he’s innocent – this is the worse thing that can happen to him, and it’s an absolutely slimeball thing to do by the person bringing the charges. McKinley’s district is red enough that speculation over his character knocks him (or any Democrat) out of the House even if he’s cleared of everything. And the Dems aren’t going to spend much money to rehabilitate the image of a guy who wasn’t a particularly reliable vote to begin with.

If that’s the case, this is really sad and not the way anyone deserves to go down.

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Half Glass Full says:

May 4, 2010 at 10:43 pm

I dunno, I can certainly believe groping, pinching, ATTEMPTING to kiss someone or even ATTEMPTING to tongue, etc. – but literally forcing your tongue into another person’s mouth…?

Just seems to me like shoddy overlawyering on Ms. Corry’s part, and likely to hurt her client’s credibility. Which would be a shame if the rest of the allegations are even partly true.

Plus, I love how these libertarians like Dan Caplis and Jessica Corry – who so often wail for tort reform, etc. – turn right around and act as PLAINTIFF’S LAWYERS.

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1. Ralphie says:
  
  May 4, 2010 at 10:48 pm
  
  http://guyism.com/2010/05/man-…
  
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