Bowser asks DC inspector general to look into sexual harassment allegations

Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked the D.C. Office of the Inspector General to take a look at sexual harassment allegations surrounding her former chief of staff.

In a letter sent June 27, Bowser asked Inspector General Daniel Lucas to consider if an outside review by his office might be helpful in determining “whether policies in place today work or need updating.”

The request comes after the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel determined former Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and Chief of Staff John Falcicchio “more than likely” sexually harassed a female subordinate employee. The report concluded Falcicchio made unwanted sexual advances toward the employee while she was in his apartment, exposed himself to her and sent thousands of messages between September 2022 and March 2023, including a graphic video and unwanted sexually explicit remarks.

Falcicchio has not publicly addressed the allegations.

Bowser’s letter Tuesday asked the inspector general to examine three claims that the initial investigation said it could not substantiate: That Falcicchio showed favoritism toward employees based on his attraction to them, that there was “orchestrated” bullying of the accuser by other senior staff members and that she faced retaliation after filing her harassment complaint.

When Bowser’s office released a four-page summary of the investigation’s findings on June 17, the Office of Legal Counsel concluded that it was unable to substantiate those allegations because “irregular hiring practices and promotions of employees rumored to have tolerated sexual advances” by Falcicchio fell outside the scope of its investigation and “would require a more detailed investigation and analysis of … hiring and promotion practices.”

In Tuesday’s letter seeking the inspector general’s review, Bowser wrote that, “These accusations — even if perception — are taken extremely seriously and we will work to address them through training and updated human resources policies.”

Falcicchio, widely seen as one of Bowser’s most trusted confidants, abruptly stepped down in March.

Several days later, the mayor’s office revealed that a complaint had been lodged against Falcicchio before his departure and that an internal investigation was underway.

The accuser went public with her accusations of sexual harassment on March 20.

Later that month, another D.C. employee came forward alleging Falcicchio sexually harassed her. More recently, a third accuser — a woman who does not work for the city but was seeking contracts with the District — came forward, alleging Falcicchio exposed himself and propositioned her during what she thought was a business meeting at his home, according to a report in Washington City Paper.

Last week, in her first public remarks following the release of the report into the first woman’s allegations, Bowser said she was “completely devastated” by the findings. She also indicated that her office would take further action to address any potentially harmful workplace conditions revealed by the report.

“I’m producing an after-action report for the government to address any weaknesses in policy or procedure,” Bowser said.

In a statement, attorneys Debra S. Katz and Kayla Morin called for an independent investigation.

“Mayor Bowser’s mishandling of the report, in addition to the substantiated findings against her former Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor Falcicchio, have destroyed the public’s trust,” the statement said. “A truly independent outside investigation would be the first step in the right direction.”

D.C. Council takes action

Several members of the D.C. Council have called for an independent investigation.

On Wednesday, D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau filed legislation that would require sexual harassment complaints against mayoral appointees to be investigated by an independent counsel, hired by the inspector general. If passed, the legislation would apply only to future complaints, but Nadeau announced she is also preparing an emergency bill that would apply retroactively to complaints against Falcicchio.

“What these women went through — and we have every reason to expect there could be more complaints forthcoming — is horrific,” Nadeau said. “They and all 36,000 of their fellow workers in District government deserve a complete and thorough review of those investigations and of the culture and procedural breakdowns that allowed it to happen in the first place.”

Nadeau said she does not intend for any independent counsel appointed to the Falcicchio case to redo investigations into specific complaints, out of concern for his accusers. She told WTOP that, if the emergency legislation passed, a third-party counsel might look back at the initial investigation just to ensure there were “no gaps.”

According to Nadeau, the most important thing to know about the emergency bill is that it would take effect immediately if passed, while the permanent legislation will have to wait for the fall session when the D.C. Council has time to conduct a full hearing.

She hopes for a vote on the emergency legislation on Tuesday, July 11, the last opportunity to do so before the council recesses for the summer.

“It can be the placeholder for permanent legislation in case new allegations arise between now and when the permanent bill is adopted,” Nadeau said, adding that because there have been three separate allegations against Falcicchio since March, many council members assume “there may be more and this would set that up so that independent investigation would be triggered earlier.”

In an anonymous interview with the Washington Post, the first accuser expressed frustration with how Bowser’s office went about releasing the investigation findings. She said she learned that the report had been published from social media shortly after it went up, and that it contained potentially identifying details about her employment.