U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio,
the Florida Republican, has fired former Arkansas Republican Party director Clint Reed as his chief of staff over allegations of unspecified improper conduct.

This from the Washington Examiner:

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He said early in the afternoon he had gathered “sufficient evidence to conclude that while employed by this office, my Chief of Staff had violated office policies regarding proper relations between a supervisor and their subordinates. I further concluded that this led to actions which in my judgement amounted to threats to withhold employment benefits.”

In the evening, Rubio said he traveled from Florida to Washington, D.C., and “terminated his employment effective immediately.”

“We have taken steps to ensure that those impacted by this conduct have access to any services they may require now or in the future. Pursuant to the wishes of those victimized by this conduct, we will not be disclosing any further details about the incidents which occurred, Rubio said. “We will be formally notifying the appropriate Congressional and Senate administrative offices of this matter when they return to work Monday morning.”

The article, and others reporting the same prepared statement, has no comment from Reed, who was Rubio’s Senate campaign manager and primary campaign manager  during his 2016 presidential bid.

Reed went to work for Rubio in 2016 after seven years as a partner of the political consulting firm Impact Management Group in Little Rock. Reed, who grew up in Hot Springs and was a basketball hall of famer at Lyon College, had a long career as a Republican political operative, including as executive director of the Arkansas Republican Party, a staffer to Sen. Tim Hutchinson and campaigner for George W. Bush.

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The news came from a prepared statement issued by Rubio around midnight Eastern Time Saturday,  He said he first learned of the allegations, made directly to him, Friday afternoon.

UPDATE: Little additional information has emerged today, but the Miami Herald detailed a process which could put in play potential financial claims.

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But congressional employees who are experiencing workplace harassment or assault and want to do something about it face a long and secretive process which can lead to taxpayer-funded settlements that often include nondisclosure agreements.

Sexual harassment victims in Congress have 180 days to bring a claim to the U.S. Congress Office of Compliance, the office responsible for handling workplace complaints. They must complete up to 30 days of mandatory counseling with a further 15 days to decide whether to bring their claims to mediation. If they don’t want mediation, they’re out of options.

If victims do opt for mediation, then a taxpayer-funded lawyer who represents the congressional office gets involved. If no settlement is reached, there’s a 30-day cooling-off period before a victim can file a lawsuit or request an official hearing. If a settlement is reached, it is usually paid for with taxpayer money and accomplished with a nondisclosure agreement, meaning the general public won’t know what happened.

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