The allegations stand in contrast to Gillibrand’s record as an advocate for women’s causes who has battled sexual harassment in the workplace, a message she has made central to her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The staff member’s resignation, first reported Monday by Politico, included a letter she wrote to Gillibrand and two top aides last July in which she describes frustration over the office’s response to allegations of harassment and intimidation against the co-worker, Abbas Malik, a former special assistant to the New York senator.
The aide had accused Malik of making unwelcome advances toward her, as well as inappropriate misogynistic remarks about female colleagues and potential hires, Politico said. The woman was not identified by the news organization, and her name was redacted from the letter.
“I felt defeated, not just from the humiliation and pain that the harassment had brought me, but that in attempting to seek appropriate disciplinary actions for my harasser, my experience was devalued. I was devalued,” the aide said in her resignation letter last August.
The former staff member could not be immediately identified by The New York Times. Malik, who served primarily as a driver for Gillibrand, could not immediately be reached for comment. His recent firing followed the emergence of a new allegation, according to a member of Gillibrand’s staff.
In a statement Monday, Gillibrand defended her office’s handling of the complaint. “As I have long said, when allegations are made in the workplace, we must believe women so that serious investigations can actually take place, we can learn the facts, and there can be appropriate accountability,” the statement said. “That’s exactly what happened at every step of this case last year.”
Gillibrand’s communications director, Whitney Mitchell Brennan, also defended the office’s handling of the complaint. “At every step of the process, immediate action was taken by the office,” she said in a separate statement Monday. “A full and thorough investigation into the evidence revealed employee misconduct that, while inappropriate, did not meet the standard for sexual harassment.'’
Taking an unyielding stand against sexual misconduct has been central to Gillibrand’s political profile since late 2017 when she was the first Democratic senator to call for the resignation of Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota after allegations that eventually led to him stepping down from his Senate seat.
The allegations from the former aide included claims that Malik called a woman fat, called someone ugly, rated women’s appearance and said that a women working at the Senate as a fellow was “into him.”
Malik had served two tours in Iraq and was at one point assigned a title related to military affairs, but his primary responsibility remained as a driver.
The former aide initially indicated she thought the investigation was fair but later complained in her letter that she felt retaliated against for making the complaint.
One senior staff member commented to her that Malik could have been fired for “a number of reasons but isn’t going to. So he should consider himself lucky,” the letter said. The woman then that she was “deeply confused and saddened by this.'’
An aide to Gillibrand, who asked not to be identified in order to discuss internal matters, said an investigation into the staffer’s complaint was initiated within 42 minutes after she filed it last July. Seven staffers were subsequently interviewed.
That investigation concluded that while inappropriate, Malik’s specific conduct did not meet the standard for sexual harassment, but the investigation confirmed unprofessional behavior including derogatory comments. The office rescinded Malik’s promotion and warned him that any additional behavior would result in his firing.
He was fired recently, after Politico began working on its story, when new information emerged.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.