Blake Farenthold, facing new sexual harassment probe, announces he won't seek re-election

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WASHINGTON — Texas U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, facing mounting allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, announced Thursday he will not seek reelection in 2018 after acknowledging he had allowed his office to become "decidedly unprofessional."

The announcement, made in a video statement on his campaign's Facebook page, adds the Corpus Christi Republican to a growing list of business leaders, politicians and celebrities laid low by accusations of unseemly behavior or mistreatment of women.

Amid a growing onslaught of revelations involving at least three former staffers — one of them a man — Farenthold's exit was greeted with growing acceptance by Republican leaders.

"I think he's made the right decision that he's going to be leaving Congress, and that reflects some of the conversations we had," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, who spoke to Farenthold several times on Wednesday.

READ ALSO: U.S. Rep. Farenthold acknowledges gender discrimination complaints

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called the staffers' accusations "shocking" and "unacceptable." But Farenthold, both apologetic and defiant, brushed off demands from Democrats in Texas and Washington that he resign immediately rather than retire at the end of his current term.

Democratic activist Matt Angle, who heads the Lone Star Project, suggested that Farenthold follow the example of Democrats like Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, who recently announced his resignation amid harassment claims from a half-dozen women. Two other members of Congress also resigned in the past week — Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, and GOP Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona.

Another Texas Republican, U.S. Rep. Joe Barton of Ennis, announced he will retire at the end of his term after revelations of a nude picture he had sent to a woman with whom he had had an extramarital affair.

Few Republicans had called publicly for Farenthold to quit, however.

The only sign of his weakening support came Wednesday, when Texas U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, an Austin Republican, announced his support for one of Farenthold's 2018 primary challengers, Texas Water Development Board Chairman Bech Bruun, who is among six Republicans and four Democrats who filed to run for the seat.

READ ALSO: Farenthold promises to repay taxpayers in harassment case

Farenthold's decision to retire came as the House Ethics Committee reopened an investigation into the claims of a former press secretary, Lauren Greene, who settled a federal lawsuit against the congressman in 2015.

Though the settlement was made public at the time, Farenthold only recently acknowledged that it involved an $84,000 taxpayer-funded payment, which he said he would repay.

Since then, at least two other former staffers have spoken publicly about inappropriate behavior on the part of the congressman and others in his office. The latest accuser, Michael Rekola, told his story Wednesday night to CNN, describing the congressman as verbally abusive, lewd and sexually demeaning.

Rekola's account followed that of Elizabeth Peace, another former press aide, who told the Chronicle that Farenthold allowed an atmosphere of verbal abuse, sexualized banter and gender discrimination to continue long after Greene left the office in 2014.

While denying any wrongdoing in Greene's case, Farenthold on Thursday acknowledged that there had been problems in his office, which he attributed to his inexperience when he was first elected in a Tea Party wave in 2010.

"I'd never served in public office before," Farenthold said. "I had no idea how to run a congressional office. And as a result, I allowed a workplace culture to take root in my office that was too permissive and decidedly unprofessional."

It was a culture, Farenthold continued, of "destructive gossip, off-hand comments, off-color jokes, and behavior that in general was less than professional." He also said he "allowed the personal stress of the job to manifest itself in angry outbursts and, too often, a failure to treat people with the respect that they deserved.

"That was wrong," Farenthold added. "Clearly that's not how I was raised and it's not who I am, and for that situation, I am profoundly sorry."

Farenthold's admission in many ways echoed his accusers' accounts of the general tone in his office, though not the details.

Rekola, who was Farenthold's communications director in 2015, told CNN that the congressman regularly berated aides with a sexually derogatory remark and made sexually graphic jokes. One particularly embarrassing exchange, Rekola said, came in 2015 when he was getting married.

Rekola said the stress of the bullying and innuendo caused him to seek medical and psychological treatment.

Rekola's account was backed up by Peace, who said she heard the wedding comment and many other inappropriate utterances from Farenthold.

Both Rekola and Peace said they have talked to the Ethics Committee.

In a statement to CNN on Wednesday, Farenthold denied making the inappropriate wedding comments to Rekola. But he acknowledged that he regularly referred to aides with a sexually graphic insult, though only "in jest, not in anger."

"In hindsight," Farenthold said to CNN, "I admit it wasn't appropriate."

In interviews with the Chronicle, Peace and former intern Olivia de la Peña described an "Animal House" atmosphere of sexual remarks, staffers drinking during work hours and outbursts of anger from the congressman, including one in which he allegedly swept everything off his desk.

Farenthold vehemently denied the allegations brought forward in 2014 by Greene, who claimed that the congressman had "sexual fantasies" about her.

She also claimed she was belittled by Farenthold's chief of staff, Bob Haueter, who still works in the office. Greene said she was fired in retaliation when she complained, a move that prompted her to file suit.

As a result, she said she has been "blackballed" in Congress and has had trouble finding work.

In a response to Greene's suit, Farenthold said she was fired for poor performance.

Her attorney, Les Alderman, dismissed those accounts.

"Defendants say a lot of things to try and defend their actions," he said. "If he stayed in office, Mr. Farenthold would have ample opportunity to assert those defenses."

Despite Farenthold's announcement, the Ethics Committee could continue its investigation as long as he remains in office.

Farenthold, 56, has claimed vindication in the results of an investigation by the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, which looked into Greene's allegations and unanimously concluded in 2015 that there was no "substantial reason to believe" he did anything wrong.

Despite the office's recommendation that Greene's case be dismissed, the House Ethics Committee never closed the matter. Last week, amid a growing uproar about sexual harassment in Congress, the committee said it would take another look.

Farenthold also received some support this week from 11 other former and current female staff members and associates who signed a letter stating that the congressman "has always treated us fairly and with dignity and respect."

In the wake of the Ethics Committee's decision to reopen the case, Farenthold acknowledged this week that he and his entire staff underwent sexual harassment training in 2016 in response to complaints from Peace and another unnamed staffer.

Farenthold represents the 13-county, mostly coastal, 27th Congressional District, which stretches from Corpus Christi to Matagorda County.

Six Republicans, including Bruun, had filed by Monday's deadline to challenge Farenthold in the March 6 primary election. At least four of them filed after Farenthold acknowledged the $84,000 payment to Greene. Four Democrats also have filed for their primary, according to the Texas Division of Elections.

Whatever Farenthold's fate, Republicans in Washington expressed confidence that the Republican-leaning district will remain in GOP hands.

Steve Stivers, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the campaign arm of the House Republicans, said he respected Farenthold's decision to retire.

"Congress must work harder to hold ourselves to a higher standard, which is why the House took action to ensure this body is a safe and constructive workplace for all," he said. But while acknowledging that "there is still more work to be done," he added: "The NRCC is confident we will hold this seat."