United States

Texas Rep. Settled Sexual Harassment Claim With Taxpayer Money: Sources

"I can neither confirm nor deny that settlement involved my office," Rep. Blake Farenthold said in a statement

Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold, two sources told NBC News, settled a 2014 sexual harassment claim by a former employee through the Office of Compliance, which issues payments from a tax-payer funded account.

The $84,000 settlement came after Farenthold's former communications director, Lauren Greene, brought a complaint against the Texas congressman in 2014 for sexual harassment and discrimination. Both parties agreed to settle out of court the following year. Sources confirmed the settlement involved Farenthold, and it was first reported by Politico.

"While I 100% support more transparency with respect to claims against members of Congress, I can neither confirm nor deny that settlement involved my office as the Congressional Accountability Act prohibits me from answering that question," Farenthold said in a statement.

Green's settlement was paid through the Office of Compliance, which has made more than $17 million worth of payments over the past 20 years for various workplace disputes, but it’s unknown — other than Farenthold’s $84,000 payment — how much of that is for sexual harassment claims.

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