Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill: 'I am not resigning' over groping allegations

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said he will not resign from his position, despite Democratic calls for him to do so in the wake of allegations that he inappropriately touched four women at a bar in March.

"Let me be clear, I am not resigning my position as Attorney General," Hill, a Republican, said in a statement. "The people of the State of Indiana have given me the highest honor to have elected me with overwhelming support to the position of Attorney General. I will continue to honor my commitment to the citizens of this great state."

While Hill has denied the allegations, the leader of his own state party is emphasizing that the GOP has zero tolerance for sexual harassment and that actions like those alleged “have no place in public life or anywhere else.”

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Meantime, Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody called the allegations, first disclosed by IndyStar, “beyond troubling and wildly inappropriate in a professional or social environment for any person, much less a statewide elected official with such responsibility.”

“We believe the multiple allegations against the Attorney General are serious, and raise material doubts over whether he can effectively carry out the duties of his office,” Zody said in a statement. “Attorney General Hill should spare Hoosiers from this controversy and resign.”

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He also cited recent comments made by Gov. Eric Holcomb during an announcement in March that all three branches of state government would be updating their sexual harassment policies. Holcomb and Hill are both Republicans.

'These actions are never acceptable'

“Like Governor Eric Holcomb has previously stated, Hoosier Democrats agree that there’s ‘zero room for harassment of any kind in any state government workplace,’” Zody said in the statement. “These actions are never acceptable.”

Senate Democratic Leader Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, joined the call for Hill's resignation Tuesday afternoon, saying Hill "can no longer adequately represent the best interest of Hoosiers."

Lanane was one of four legislative leaders who met with Hill Monday afternoon about the allegations.

"The Attorney General’s behavior was totally reprehensible and certainly calls into question his ability to carry out his duties as the chief law enforcement officer of the state," Lanane said. "The office and duties of the Attorney General call for the highest levels of ethics and unquestionable character and I believe Curtis Hill falls completely short of that standard."

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Lanane would not say whether or not he called for Hill's resignation during their meeting, or whether further action from lawmakers was needed.

Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer said in a statement late Monday that he is continuing to learn about the details of the legislative investigation into the allegations against Hill and he praised House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, both Republicans, for promptly looking into the accusations and working with Democrats in the legislature to investigate.

“It’s important to be clear: As the Republican Party, we have zero tolerance for sexual harassment, and that’s the standard to which we should all adhere,” Hupfer said in the statement. “Actions like these alleged have no place in public life or anywhere else.”

Holcomb is in a remote area of Montana celebrating his anniversary with his wife this week, and issued an emailed statement Tuesday morning.

“We took great care to update our sexual harassment policies for the executive, legislative and judicial branches in the past few months," Holcomb said in the statement. "No one should be subjected to unwanted sexual advances. I commend House and Senate leaders for their immediate and formal follow up to the allegations presented to them."

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He said he will have no further comment on the allegations against Hill until he returns home late Wednesday night and has an opportunity to review the facts in detail.

Hill has declined interview requests from IndyStar, but he said in a written statement Monday that he never behaved inappropriately. He said he doesn’t know the identity of his accusers and has not been contacted by any investigators.

In an updated written statement released Tuesday to IndyStar, Hill said he has been provided with no due process "with regard to these vicious allegations."

"The lack of due process regarding this prejudicial investigation is concerning. I have never received a copy of this 'confidential' report along with the specific allegations made against me," Hill said in the statement. "While meeting with legislative leaders yesterday I requested a copy of this report but my request was denied despite the fact that the legislature acknowledged they had given it to the media. There is a fundamental lack of fairness to this entire process."

In a later statement he added that he first learned about the investigation on Friday, but was never contacted by an investigator.

Women say Curtis Hill grabbed their buttocks

The allegations against Hill were documented in an eight-page memo prepared by an outside law firm at the request of legislative leaders who were concerned about liability. The memo describes interviews that legislative leaders or their attorneys conducted with six women who attended a celebration at AJ’s Lounge, just south of Downtown, to celebrate the end of the legislative session in March.

One of the women, a lawmaker, said Hill was drunk and twice reached under her clothing and grabbed her buttocks. Another woman, a legislative staffer, said Hill also groped her buttocks, even after she tried to remove his hand. Another legislative employee said Hill hugged her to him and a third said he rubbed her back for two minutes.

Several women also said Hill told women at the bar they needed to show more skin or leg to receive free drinks or faster service.

The confidential memo, dated June 18, concludes that the House and Senate could not be held liable for creating a hostile work environment since none of the women who have made the allegations are Hill’s employees and the event was not officially sanctioned by the House or Senate.

Call IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.