By Policy Or Pressures Unsaid, Capitol Aides And Interns Remain Quiet On Harassment
Sexual harassment scandals at the Colorado Capitol have drawn attention to one group that isn’t used to the limelight: lawmakers’ aides and interns. Many say that are they the legislature’s most vulnerable workforce.
In the run-up to the historic vote that expelled Rep. Steve Lebsock for sexual harassment, Democratic Rep. Leslie Herod recounted her first year experience as a legislative aide. Twenty-two-years-old and fresh out of college, she took enormous pride in her position at the Capitol.
She remembers being thrilled when a powerful staffer asked to meet about her future. He took her to a
window overlooking the mountains and asked her to imagine what she could accomplish.
“Then, he stepped closer and he asked for a kiss,” Herod told her colleagues.
