Letter from Oregon Senate president chastises Kruse

(Update: Adding copy of letter, Gov. Brown comments)

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The top counsel to the Oregon Legislature has released a letter from the Senate president to a state senator who was accused of inappropriate touching of women in the Capitol.
 
In the letter written Friday, Sen. Peter Courtney told Sen. Jeff Kruse that two new allegations had surfaced against him.
 
Courtney told Kruse that women in the Capitol don’t want him to touch them, and removed Kruse from his committee assignments, undercutting his authority as a lawmaker.
 
Kruse has denied any inappropriate behavior and says he is being denied due process.
 
___
 
Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com

—

Governor Kate Brown on Tuesday released the following statement regarding reports of sexual harassment:

“Recently, we have seen a tidal wave of women speaking out and standing up against harassment, discrimination, and abuse. As examples of these issues have again stoked a national dialogue, it is all too clear that no workplace or community is immune to them — sadly even in our state capitol. This behavior must be stopped, and I applaud the courage of those who brought these allegations to light.

“We should also acknowledge the women who everyday are experiencing harassment and for fear of losing their jobs, families, or even lives, are not empowered to take a public stand against it.

“This is absolutely unacceptable, and it is long past time for these issues to be openly discussed and directly addressed. Every woman deserves to be respected and has the right to live, work, and simply walk down the street safely.”