An upstate lawmaker just elected as Rensselaer County’s new county executive was sanctioned by the state Assembly Wednesday for sexual harassment, including asking a female staffer for nude photos.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced the censure of Republican Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin following an investigation by the Assembly ethics panel.
Heastie said the Assembly would no longer assign interns to McLaughlin’s office for the remainder of his term, which ends Dec. 31.
“Assemblymember McLaughlin’s conduct violated the Assembly’s Policy Prohibiting Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation as it pertains to sexual harassment and confidentiality, and is consistent with the standards of conduct to which Members of the Assembly should be held,” Heastie said in a statement.
He said McLaughlin was also directed to stop revealing the name of the complainant and details of the allegations and investigation.
The findings also require that McLaughlin reimburse the Assembly for the cost of completing sexual harassment and retaliation prevention training he he took in July 2017.
The ethics panel found that McLaughlin “engaged in sexual harassment in violation of the policy by asking a female employee of the Assembly for nude photos.”
The report concluded that McLaughlin was “not truthful” when he told investigators he had “no idea” who could be making harassment allegations against him.
The panel said it was McLaughin himself who leaked “the name of the target of his alleged sexual harassment” to another Assembly staffer, who then disclosed it to others.
McLaughlin won the Rensselaer County executive’s race, in a squeaker, 50 to 48 percent, over Democrat Andrew Smyth.
A defiant McLaughlin denied the claims during an appearance on former Post editor Fred Dicker’s Talk 1300 radio show.
“This is a political witch-hunt that I am not lying down and taking, . . This is an absolute joke,” McLaughlin said.
“It didn’t happen to begin with . . It never happened. It didn’t occur,” he said of asking an Assembly staffer for nude photos.
“There was no proof. In fact, I provided proof it didn’t happen.”
The bi-partisan ethics committee, in an initial June 21, 2017 report to Heastie, concluded that its members were split on whether harassment by McLaughlin had taken place.
But it re-opened the probe after being informed that the name of the accuser was unmasked — and concluded that McLaughlin was behind it.
McLaughlin questioned the extension of the probe.
“If anyone’s undergoing a hostile workplace it’s me. This is really getting out of hand. I have a letter saying I was cleared of this,” he said.
“Then they say I leaked it. The leak is coming from the Assembly Ethics Committee. It’s a complete joke. I can’t wait to come out of that hellhole, that sewer. They are weaponizing this going after me because I’m an outspoken person.”
Smyth, McLaughlin’s Democratic opponent in the county executive’s race, said she’s concerned about what he’ll do in his new role.
“My feeling all along was that my opponents’ abusive behavior wasn’t an isolated incident… and the pattern of real harassment is there as well,” she said.
“As a taxpayer in Rensselaer County, I’m concerned about the exposure that his behavior will bring .. he’ll be supervising 1300 people. The Assembly has determined that he shouldn’t be supervising interns and now he’ll be supervising 1300 employees.”