NATION : Congressman Claims Ethics OK
- Share via
WASHINGTON — Rep. Gus Savage (D-Ill.) said today that the House Ethics Committee has dismissed a complaint that he sexually assaulted a Peace Corps worker in Zaire, but there was no official confirmation from the panel.
Savage, a black Chicago Democrat, blamed a “racist attack” by white government officials and white-owned news media for the allegations.
A spokesman for the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct would not comment on Savage’s remarks, made in a House floor speech. The Chicago Tribune reported today that the committee issued a “letter of reproval” against Savage, the mildest sanction available to the panel.
The Peace Corps worker contended Savage fondled her for more than two hours in the back of a chauffeur-driven embassy car in Kinshasa, the capital of Zaire, last March, according to several government officials.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.