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Tag Archives: intern

Uh, oh…

23 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

General Assembly, intern, missouri, Paul LeVota, sexual harrassment

Yesterday:

Paul LeVota, Independence senator, accused of sexual harassment by intern in Jefferson City

Posted By Steve Vockrodt on Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 4:40 PM

A Missouri Senate investigation released on Wednesday outlines claims of sexual harassment by a student intern against Missouri Sen. Paul LeVota.

The long-awaited investigative report details allegations by a University of Central Missouri intern working in LeVota’s (D-Independence) office, accusing the senator of making sexually charged remarks and later retaliating against her when she rebuffed his advances.

LeVota denied her claims, and the investigative report draws no conclusions about the allegations….

Another intern story

21 Thursday May 2015

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

General Assembly, intern, missouri, University of Central Missouri

Late today:

Senate office under investigation for possible sexual harassment or discrimination against intern

UPDATED: University of Central Missouri intern’s exit prompts Senate investigation

A statement from the University of Central Missouri:

The University of Central Missouri is committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment, both on campus and with regard to other types of off-campus learning opportunities, including academic internships.

UCM does not respond to questions about campus investigations. Federal law protects the privacy of our students, and requires colleges and universities to have policies and procedures in place to protect our campus learning environment for all students, employees and guests. As such, the university cannot comment on an individual student’s academic program of study, or with regard to any situation which could potentially affect a student’s confidentiality regarding his/her academic studies.

The university strongly supports the provisions of Title IX and what it means for the safety and security of campus members and guests. UCM will not respond to questions about specific students and employees, but will be glad to share information about our Title IX Policy/Procedures.

The university has a long and successful history of providing internship opportunities for our students in Jefferson City, and we expect these programs will continue.

John Diehl’s precipitous retirement

15 Friday May 2015

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

corruption, intern, John Diehl, Legislature, missouri

The Speaker of the Missouri House, John Diehl (R-89), just resigned. He seems to have been carrying on an affair with a nineteen year old student intern and he rather stupidly let his id override common sense when it came to exchanging salacious tweets that have now been made public. Is anyone really surprised? It’s an old story. Diehl is far from the first politician to let his exaggerated sense of self-importance fog his brain when it came to exercising what must have seemed like a perquisite of office, especially given the otherwise anything goes culture of the Missouri GOP.

But as gratifying as it is to see a hypocrite exposed, nobody is claiming that the young woman was coerced by Diehl. Politicians, no matter how personally unappealing, seem to have their groupies too – power, they say, is a potent aphrodisiac and Diehl was a big poohbah in the little Missouri political tent. No matter what  you think about it, since it doesn’t rise to the level of illegality, what Diehl did was his own business. It only concerns him, his family and the intern. When Bill Clinton’s intern came to light, I said the same thing and I’m not going to change my tune now.

Don’t get me wrong. From an aesthetic point of view Diehl’s behavior seems seriously sad and creepy. There’s also the hypocrisy factor which probably justifies some of the outcry. Diehl is, as you might have guessed, one of those GOP “family values” types with a particularly strong enthusiasm for anti-gay panders:

Earlier this year, Diehl and the president pro-tempore of the state Senate filed an amicus brief in defense of the state’s anti-gay-marriage amendment, leading the Missouri Family Policy Council, the state affiliate of the Family Research Council, to praise the speaker “for demonstrating moral leadership and true integrity in standing up for the sacred institution of marriage and the family values of the people of Missouri.” The state affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention thanked him for “fighting to defend biblical marriage.”

Seems a bit ironic now. Diehl has also pushed abortion restrictions during his tenure, co-sponsored a 2012 bill prohibiting Gay-Straight Alliances in public schools, and tried to restrict the availability of birth control insurance coverage for those whose employers want to claim religious privilege to defy the law.

All in all, Diehl’s pose as a thorough-going, rightwing Christian warrior makes his dirty old man routine especially revolting. But he’s got lots of company in the GOP in recent years. And many of these Christian sinners have continued to be re-elected – does the name David Vitter ring a bell – by constituents who evidently care more about what politicians do in office than when they go home. Correctly, I think.

Nevertheless, I have to admit that I’m enjoying the public way that the chickens have come home to roost for Rep. Diehl and I’ll be more than glad to see the back of him. But it isn’t because of his sleazy sexual behavior. When it comes to official malfeasance, there are far more serious charges to level against Diehl in his role as leader and enabler for the legislative GOP in Missouri. We mustn’t fail to give him a double-sized helping of credit for:

— 700 Missourians who will die unnecessarily every year because of the failure of the GOPers in Jefferson City to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid.

—  6,300 of Missouri’s poorest children who will loose welfare benefits.

— Putting legal guns in felons’ hands. Along with everybody else’s.

— Underfunding education. Yet again.

— Decimating social service agencies’ funding and then blaming the agencies for the resulting dysfunction.

— Refusing to fund crucial infrastructure needs. While bridges face collapse and highway repair needs are triaged.

— Beggaring the state to give tax cuts to the wealthy, who shovel the excess back into campaign coffers by the handfuls. In Missouri those greenbacks don’t just exercise their free speech rights, they shout.

— Pushing through Right-to-Work-For-Less legislation – a big wet kiss on ALEC’s corporate backside and and kick in the face to Missouri’s working middle class.

There’s more, of course. And I didn’t even touch on Diehl’s behind the scenes embrace of the corruption that runs rampant in Jefferson City. Thanks to Diehl and his like-minded cronies in the statehouse, Missourians might just as well give up and accept the coming blight. And as long as public  immorality is defined in terms of private sexual behavior rather than in terms of public corruption and indifference to the needs of the state’s citizens, we’re not likely to see much difference, no matter which on-the-make GOP clone takes Diehl’s place. But it does do a body good to see one of the malefactors frogmarched, metaphorically speaking, out of office.

* Edited slightly for clarity’ three links added.  

No Diehl in Jefferson City

14 Thursday May 2015

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

General Assembly, intern, John Diehl, missouri, resignation, social media, Speaker, texting

Speaker John Diehl (r) is resigning his leadership position and his House seat.

Mo. House Speaker John Diehl Jr. resigns after sexting scandal

Diehl will also give up his Missouri Legislature seat

1:42 PM CDT May 14, 2015

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -House Speaker John Diehl Jr. has announced his resignation from the Missouri Legislature following the revelation that he exchanged sexually charged text messages with an intern.

Related

“Too often we hear leaders say they’re sorry but are unwilling to accept the consequences,” Diehl said in his resignation statement. “I understand that, as a leader, I am responsible for my actions and I am willing to face the consequences…”

[….]

“I have acknowledged making a serious error in judgment by sending the text messages. It was wrong and I am truly sorry. Too often we hear leaders say they’re sorry but are unwilling to accept the consequences. I understand that, as a leader, I am responsible for my actions and I am willing to face the consequences.”

[….]

In the Twitterverse:

Tony Messenger ‏@tonymess

It wasn’t the affair that did in @johndiehljr. It wasn’t the salacious texts. It was the fact that in the end, he lied to too many people. 1:38 PM – 14 May 2015

When will they ever learn?

Scott Charton ‏@ScottCharton

An agitated Senate adjourned under rules til Friday, last day of #moleg, while House roils in leadership upheaval. Unheard-of bedlam. 1:38 PM – 14 May 2015

Yael T. Abouhalkah ‏@YaelTAbouhalkah

Q: Would John Diehl still be in power if he had told the truth to The Star when asked 3 weeks ago about sexting with coed? 2:07 PM – 14 May 2015

We’ll never know. Who’s next?

Previously:

Ruh, roh… (May 13, 2015)

What? We’re all what? May 13, 2014)

A big Diehl in Jefferson City (May 14, 2015)

A big Diehl in Jefferson City

14 Thursday May 2015

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

General Assembly, intern, John Diehl, missouri, social media, Speaker, texting

The Speaker of the Missouri House. An intern.

Speaker John Diehl (r) [May 2014 file photo].

Last night Speaker Diehl’s (r) very brief appearance after a long media stakeout didn’t go so well:

Eli Yokley ‏@eyokley

Diehl refused to answer this q: why is it fair for him, the boss, to still be here when the subordinate, he intern, is gone. #MOLeg 11:08 PM – 13 May 2015

Eli Rosenberg ‏@EliKMBC

“I made a stupid mistake” @johndiehljr talked w/ us briefly, then down stairs, through a hall, and into a SUV. #MoLeg  11:30 PM – 13 May 2015

Collin Reischman ‏@CMReischman

@johndiehljr says he did not have sexual relationship with intern in question. Says he will remain as speaker, be here all week. #moleg 11:08 PM – 13 May 2015

Today doesn’t look like it’ll be any better.

Representative Jeremy LeFaver (D):

Jeremy LaFaver ‏@jeremylafaver

Forgiveness shouldn’t mean absolving someone from appropriate consequences. I, too, can forgive. But not with a gavel in your hand. 7:24 AM – 14 May 2015

And pointed:

Alison Dreith ‏@alidreith

After hiding for hours, @johndiehljr emerges from his office SMILING. You can’t make this shit up #moleg #DiehlWatch [….] 7:58 AM – 14 May 2015

JC Elevator ‏@jcelevator

Rep1: What was with the lockdown & #DiehlWatch yesterday? Rep 2: That happens when you replace a #SpinVixen with an intern. #RawDiehl 8:39 AM – 14 May 2015

Scott Charton ‏@ScottCharton

Extra-disturbing is that after #moleg Speaker Diehl made his statement, he got a standing ovation when he walked into GOP caucus. Why? 8:48 AM – 14 May 2015

Easy answer. *IOKIYAR.

Previously:

Ruh, roh… (May 13, 2015)

What? We’re all what? May 13, 2014)

* it’s okay if you’re a republican

Ruh, roh…

13 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

General Assembly, intern, John Diehl, Kansas City Star, missouri, text

Reported today in the Kansas City Star:

Government & Politics

May 13, 2015

Text images between Missouri House Speaker John Diehl and intern reveal sexually charged exchanges

By JASON HANCOCK

jhancock@kcstar.com

Text messages obtained by The Star reveal a sexually charged relationship between House Speaker John Diehl and a college freshman in a Missouri Capitol internship program that shut down abruptly last month.

The conversations unveil a flirty rapport and suggest an intimacy between arguably the state’s most influential lawmaker and a young woman taking some pleasure in a secret association.

The texts show occasional efforts by Diehl and the intern to meet in person. They range from mundane chatter, about boring meetings and dreading speeches, to the more sexually suggestive….

Well, that throws a hand grenade into the end of the legislative session.

And the social media storm is just starting:

JC Elevator ‏@jcelevator

Rep1: Was it intense when the Speaker leaned on you to flip your vote on Right to Work? Rep2: He left me quivering. #RawDiehl #MOLeg 10:59 AM – 13 May 2015

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