The Secretary of Labor avoids whether she will investigate the federal entity for alleged sexual harassment and bigotry

Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su refused to commit to investigating the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which is facing allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination.

The FDIC culture is plagued by various inappropriate behaviors including “sexual harassment, discrimination and other interpersonal misconduct.” seconds on a tuesday report by the law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, which was tasked with investigating the workplace in 2023. Sen. John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, pressed Su during a hearing Thursday on what he would do based on those findings , but the acting secretary did not commit to taking any action to mitigate the alleged problems.

“I think we've established, first, that a lot of the supervisors and some of the senior management at the FDIC are pigs, they're sexual predators, they're bigots,” Kennedy said. “Number two, this issue has been there for a long time since The Wall Street Journal broke the story … And so far the Labor Department has said nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nothing. In fact, I think you have that you haven't even read the reports and that you're not familiar with the subject. Maybe I'm exaggerating, and if I am, please correct me. Number three, Madam Secretary, you have a long history, which I know you're proud of. passionate activism on behalf of employees.”

I WILL SEE:

“So here's my question. Are you, or are you not going to use your legal and moral authority to open an FDIC investigation and help those young women over there and help those young people of color over there?” asked the senator.

Nearly one in ten FDIC employees reported workplace misconduct to the law firm's tip line throughout the investigation.

“Senator, I am deeply concerned every time a hardworking person goes to work and does not get the dignity and respect they deserve,” Su said. “I am charged with enforcing certain laws based on the powers that Congress has given the Department of Labor. I appreciate that you are raising an issue related to working people who have suffered clearly horrific sexual harassment and other types of abuse, and the what it shows is that too often, workers can feel they have to put up with things that no one should have to because of a power imbalance in the workplace.”

Kennedy kept asking what Su would do about it.

“There is an agency of the federal government that, presumably, if the complaint has been filed, it will investigate it,” Su said.

“This is gut check time, Madam Acting Secretary,” Kennedy said. “You either believe in protecting workers or you don't… We can debate how many lawyers can dance on the head of a pin, but you certainly have the legal and moral authority to investigate labor violations. Honestly, I'm surprised. I thought you'd pounce on that like a ninja.”

“Like a what?” Su asked, with Kennedy repeating himself and saying he's heard the expression in the movies.

Kennedy then asked if Su would call for the resignation of top FDIC management, to which the secretary did not respond.

The incidents at the FDIC “did not occur in a vacuum” and were the result of a “misogynistic,” “patriarchal,” “insular” and “antiquated” workplace, according to the report.

Police responded to a report of a violation at an FDIC-owned hotel in 2017, seconds to police documents obtained by the conservative American Accountability Foundation and shared exclusively with the Daily Caller News Foundation. Employees used the 11-story hotel in Arlington, Virginia, as a center for the party, The Wall Street Journal reported in november

Latest messages from Jason Cohen (see everything)

We have zero tolerance for comments that contain violence, racism, profanity, profanity, doxing, or rude behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it, click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for engaging with us in a fruitful conversation.