Jackie Speier was a junior aide in Congress when she was sexually assaulted. New to the world of American politics, she was targeted by a senior colleague.

“The chief of staff for the member I worked for grabbed my face with his hands, kissed me and stuck his tongue in my mouth,” she recalls.

Ms Speier was in her twenties, her colleague was in his fifties. It was the 1970s and she decided not to speak out.

“I didn’t say anything at the time,” Ms Speier told The Telegraph. “But I made a point of never being alone with him again.”

Decades later, the horror of the incident may not have changed but her position has. Since 2008, Ms Speier has been the congresswoman for California. She is the one in power now and is putting it to use.

This week, in part thanks to the “Me Too Congress” campaign Ms Speier has launched, the culture of silence around harassment in US politics begun to crack.