California Congressman Jim Costa was probed in 2023 over allegations that he made unwanted advances toward two interns,NOTUS recentlyreported.
The Democrat from Fresno allegedly behaved inappropriately with one intern in 2020 and another female intern in 2021, according to a complaint filed three years ago with congressional ethics officials.
Nothing arose from ethics officials’ investigations into Costa, as both the Office of Congressional Conduct and House Ethics Committee dismissed the case. Lawmakers “didn’t find enough evidence to proceed,” a source said.
The first woman alleged to ethics officials that Costa, then 67, approached her, a 22-year-old intern, at an event hosted by a California nonprofit as she was leaving. Costa asked her why she was going home and insisted she stay and dance, the woman alleged.
“I was like, ‘I’ve already danced.’ He’s like, ‘Well, I didn’t dance with you,’” the woman, who now works as a lobbyist, claimed.
After she repeatedly declined, she alleged that Costa awkwardly asked the intern to“shimmy”with her, so the two did so in the checked bag area.
“Every time I leaned back, it seemed like he got farther forward. So I was grateful that I could do a back bend. It was a very uncomfortable situation,” she alleged.
Then, Costa allegedly told the intern he could help her with her congressional career and gave his personal number.
“He just said ‘I would love to help you with your career. Let’s get dinner.’ Which when it comes from a powerful man, does not mean I want to help you,” the woman claimed in her interview with ethics officials. “I’m not dumb. I knew what it meant.”
The next day, she bumped into Costa again, who allegedly inquired why the intern didn’t give him a text and asked if she had a boyfriend. She alleged that he asked her to send her resume to his chief of staff.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
