Democrat accuses Harris candidate Josh Shapiro of covering up sexual harassment in his office – PJ Media

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, reportedly one of the frontrunners to be Kamala Harris’s vice presidential candidate, has been accused by another Democrat running for statewide office of covering up sexual harassment in his office.

Erin McClelland, a candidate for Pennsylvania treasurer, accused Shapiro of covering up an allegation of sexual harassment by an employee last year.

“I want a vice president who is secure enough to run second to a woman, who is comfortable being vice president, who will not undermine the president to rig his own election, and who will not sweep sexual harassment under the rug,” McClelland posted on X on Friday. “I want someone who can speak to rural voters. That’s (North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper).” Cooper is reportedly in the final race for second place.

In October, reports emerged that Mike Vereb, Shapiro’s legislative affairs secretary, “made offensive and misogynistic remarks against her and threatened her with retaliation,” according to the Washington Times.

The lawsuit was quietly settled for $295,000. It was swept under the rug with the usual confidentiality agreements.

Philadelphia Inquirer:

Mike Vereb — Shapiro’s chief liaison to the General Assembly and one of the governor’s closest allies for decades — abruptly resigned from his Cabinet post last month after serving less than nine months. The Inquirer later reported that Vereb had been accused in March of sexually harassing a female staffer who briefly worked for him in the governor’s office.

Vereb’s decision to resign came three weeks after Shapiro’s office agreed to pay his accuser to settle complaints she filed with the state’s Equal Employment Opportunity Office and the independent Human Relations Commission, according to settlement documents signed Sept. 5 and released Friday under the state’s public records law.

The agreement did not include any admission of wrongdoing by Vereb or the governor’s office. And the woman — whose name the Inquirer is not naming because of the nature of the allegations — and others involved on both sides signed a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting them from publicly discussing their allegations.

I’m sure the Harris camp is watching Shapiro’s behavior throughout the entire affair very closely. They’re looking at it from the perspective of what Republicans can make of it. I don’t see this as a disqualification, but does Harris really want to deal with the fact that her running mate covered up sexual harassment in his office at the behest of an old friend?

McClelland’s accusation has rocked Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party.

Democratic Party leader Sharif Street said on Wednesday evening: “Look, everyone has the right to their own opinion.”

“But I tell you, I am offended by the position,” he continued. “I am personally offended and will have separate discussions with our candidate for the position of treasurer.”

McClelland replied, “Someone feels insulted by a woman with strong opinions. I am thunderstruck.”

Another problem for Shapiro is his excellent record on school elections, which is a no-go for a Democrat running at the national level.

New York Post:

However, McClelland is not alone on the left.

She joins 28 organizations opposed to school choice that oppose Shapiro’s candidacy. The organizations wrote a letter to Harris urging her to choose one of three other Democratic governors as her running mate — and Cooper was on that list.

The governor, who served as Keystone State’s attorney general from 2017 to 2023, was easily elected to the office in 2022, defeating far-right GOP candidate Doug Mastriano.

Shapiro won praise last year for his leadership in repairing a collapsed Interstate 95 bridge in Philadelphia, but has been criticized from both sides of the aisle for his work on school choice – albeit for very different reasons.

Republicans are disappointed that he backed down last summer on the Senate school choice bill he had previously supported.

Shapiro is at the top of the list because Pennsylvania is crucial to Harris’ campaign, and she must win there if she wants to have a chance of defeating Donald Trump.

All other negative aspects of Shaprio pale in comparison.