New York Republican Representative Tom Reed on Friday denied the accuracy of a news report listing allegations made by a former lobbyist who said he inappropriately touched her during a political weekend trip in 2017.
The woman, Nicolette Davis, told the Washington Post that she was a 25-year-old lobbyist for the Aflac insurance company when Mr. Reed fingered her after a day ice fishing with donors, politicians and lobbyists in an Irish pub in Minneapolis. The congressman was drunk, she said, and while he was sitting at the bar, he put his hand on her back, untied her bra through her blouse, and ran his hand over her thigh before Ms. Davis asked the man next to her to intervene.
Reed, 49, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2010 and is currently considering running a New York gubernatorial run, declined to discuss the allegation with reporters at the Capitol on Friday. In a statement, he said that the “account of my actions is incorrect,” but he did not directly elaborate or deny the encounter. His spokesman did not respond to detailed follow-up questions, including the specific allegations that the congressman denied.
Ms. Davis, now a lieutenant in the Army, could not be reached. She told the Post that although she was a lifelong Democrat, her “conscience” and desire to set an example for others had led her to publicly share her story.
Jon A. Sullivan, a spokesman for Aflac, confirmed Friday that Ms. Davis sent a text message to one of her colleagues asking for “HELP” when Mr. Reed rubbed her back. She also reported the episode to another colleague shortly after it happened, he said.
“When this matter was reported to non-attending officers and colleagues, we immediately supported and advised Nicolette so that she could personally determine how to proceed to bring to light this deeply troubling experience.” he said in a statement emailed. “Aflac continues to support Nicolette 100 percent as we strongly condemn any form of abuse or harassment.”
The Post said Ms. Davis contacted the newspaper through her tip line in mid-February. The newspaper also spoke to a person who said they saw a visibly drunk Mr. Reed put his hand on Ms. Davis’ back and describe the report on condition of anonymity.
Ms. Davis also recently reported the incident to the Army, which referred him to the Minneapolis Police Department. Cynthia O Smith, an army spokeswoman, referred a reporter to the city police department who refused to comment.
Mr Reed told Fox News in February that he was “seriously” considering running for governor in 2022. He was an outspoken critic of Governor Andrew Cuomo, calling on the Democrats to resign or be charged with sexual allegations and harassment other wrongdoing. He called the governor’s behavior “disruptive and unacceptable”.
“I’ve been asked by many people to do this for months because I think they appreciate the way I rule,” Reed said in February ahead of the numerous harassment charges against Cuomo. “Don’t rule through arrogance, bullying like Governor Cuomo, but try to bring people together as proud Republicans.”
Mr. Reed is a former mayor of Corning, NY, who now represents a large rural district in the western part of the state, including Ithaca and parts of the Finger Lakes. As chairman of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus, Mr. Reed has built a reputation in Washington as a Republican middle of the street eager to work with Democrats on sensitive political issues.
He was a vocal advocate of sexual harassment training for members of Congress and their staff, and wrote a comment for the Huffington Post in 2014 to raise awareness about sexual assault.
Jennifer Steinhauer contributed to the reporting.
