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Hoover To Step Down As Kentucky House Speaker After Harassment Allegations

Ryland Barton

Kentucky House Speaker Jeff Hoover says he’ll step down from his leadership position after reports surfaced saying he settled a sexual harassment lawsuit earlier this year.

In a statement to the media on Sunday, Hoover said he had acted inappropriately, engaging in consensual “banter.”

“But as inappropriate as those text messages were, I want to reiterate that at no time, at no time, did I engage in unwelcome conduct of any kind,” he said. “And at no time were there ever any sexual relations of any kind. There has never been a culture of sexual harassment, as some opportunist would now wrongly claim for their personal political gain.”

Hoover intends to still serve as an representative. Speaker Pro Tempore David Osborne of Prospect will assume speaker’s duties

Hoover’s announcement comes one day after Governor Matt Bevin publicly called for the immediate resignation of anyone in state government who has settled a sexual harassment case, or helped to hide these cases.

“For the sake of themselves, for the sake of their families, for the sake of Kentucky they should resign,” Bevin said. “For every elected official in Kentucky, you either publicly condemn or you publicly condone this type of behavior. Period.”

Last week, the Courier-Journal reported Hoover had secretly settled a sexual harassment claim by a female staffer. Hoover and the woman allegedly exchanged suggestive text messages and photos.

As Kentucky Public Radio’s Ryland Barton reported on Saturday, Republican leaders — minus Hoover — have already planned to launch an investigation into the allegations.

“Because the rumors involve the Speaker of the House, other State Representatives, and members of the House staff, the leadership team concluded that we must find the truth immediately to assure the public that the new Republican majority takes this matter seriously,” House leaders said in a statement ”We are not going to operate on rumor and innuendo; we are going to make decisions based on facts.” Rep. Brian Linder, a Republican from Dry Ridge, Rep. Michael Meredith, a Republican from Oakland and Rep. Jim DeCesare, a Republican from Bowling Green, have also been accused of sexual harassment, according to a report from the Herald-Leader.

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