A Republican-dominated coalition in the state Senate has decided to investigate how The Associated Press obtained documents that describe another instance of a lawmaker verbally attacking a staff member.
Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom said the chamber’s Facilities and Operations Committee will handle what he described as an investigation with “limited” scope. Tom said he also opposes the public release of other documents related to complaints against GOP Sen. Pam Roach, saying the chamber needs to handle such personnel matters confidentially.
“One of the keys to that committee is that confidential records need to remain confidential,” Tom said. “If we break that trust, then we no longer have that safe haven.”
Other officials in the state Senate had indicated that they were working to release some Roach files in response to public records requests from The Associated Press and The Seattle Times, and those requests remain unresolved. A new GOP-leaning coalition took control of the chamber earlier this week.
The investigation into the leak came a day after a committee voted to lift sanctions against Roach. Those sanctions were levied against her in 2010 after the Facilities and Operations Committee investigated allegations that she had mistreated staff, and the committee reaffirmed those sanctions just four months ago as part of a legal settlement after senior Republican attorney Mike Hoover complained that he was subjected to a hostile and abusive workplace because of Roach.
Hoover, who now works in the state House, said Wednesday he was disappointed that the sanctions were lifted.
“It worries me more for the employees that remain than for myself,” Hoover said.
The Facilities and Operations Committee on Tuesday night barred two reporters from attending the session. Republican Sen. Don Benton, who chairs the panel, confirmed that the sanctions against Roach had been lifted but refused to discuss deliberations after the meeting.
Democratic Sen. David Frockt of Seattle said he voted against removing the sanctions, saying he didn’t feel that the terms of the restrictions had been met. He said he couldn’t discuss any other details.
The panel lifted Roach’s sanctions despite fresh documents that concluded Roach had again mistreated staff last year. In a story last week, The Associated Press reported on documents that concluded Roach violated the Senate’s workplace policies in March by verbally attacking a Senate Republican staffer charged with upholding sanctions against her.
The change allows Roach to serve as chairwoman of a Senate committee focused on government operations. Roach is a key vote in a new Republican-leaning coalition in the Senate, because that caucus has only a one-vote advantage.
Roach did not immediately return a call left with her office Wednesday.
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