A press release from State Senator Jim Oberweis, who is the Republican candidate for U.S. Senator against Dick Durbin.

Oberweis calls on Durbin to release secret internal sexual harassment report

Jim Oberweis

SUGAR GROVE — Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Jim Oberweis today called on Dick Durbin to release a secret internal sexual harassment report that claims to “clear” his longtime political confidant and chief of staff of sexual harassment allegations.

When Oberweis called for Durbin to release the report during last night’s televised debate on ABC 7 Chicago, Durbin never gave an answer.

“What is Dick Durbin hiding?” Oberweis asked.

“Taxpayers paid for an internal report and they have a right to see it.

“They have a right to determine whether it was a real investigation or a whitewash.”

Background:

Dick Durbin

• Kathleen Rooney was fired from Durbin’s Chicago office in 2010 after her book revealed inappropriate behavior by Durbin’s long-time political advisor and state Chief of Staff, Mike Daly.

• The internal report resulted in Daly being reassigned to no longer supervise employees but claimed no evidence was found of sexual harassment.

• The report has never been released publicly.

• Although Rooney declined to file sexual harassment charges at the time, she described a hostile work environment in a April 2014 interview in Chicago Magazine. She also said Durbin was aware of Daly’s behavior and didn’t care.

Q. Have you been in touch with Durbin since your firing?

A. No. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hurtful to realize how easily he could just dispatch me. The senator was aware of [the director’s behavior] and didn’t really care. If you took it too seriously, that was kind of seen as whining: “This is what it is to work here. Suck it up and deal with it.”

• Rooney also told WLS 890 AM on April 22, 2014 she told supervisors about Daly’s behavior and was told to keep quiet or leave.

ROONEY: …the Chief of Staff …as depicted….was I guess you could say, inappropriate and so the essay explored…it wasn’t a sexual relationship and I didn’t pursue it as sexual harassment….but it was just an analysis of this….

WLS HOST LAUREN COHN: It was something that made you uncomfortable?

ROONEY: …it was an office dynamic…this powerful man who was close to the senator….kind of got to treat young women as he felt like….and you know when I first got there I kinda raised the issue of its inappropriateness and was sort of told I could either leave….or stay…and I own that decision, I chose to stay….

• Although Daly got a new title, “Senior Advisor” rather than “Chief of Staff,” and no longer had supervisory authority, he didn’t get “demoted.” Throughout the whole time, Daly was paid $169,459 per year. His salary stayed unchanged from 2009-2013. In effect, he got the same pay with less responsibility. Some would call that a promotion.

• According to Senate records, Daly left the Senate payroll on March 6, 2014.