Boehner renews call for Massa inquest

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday called on the ethics committee to launch its investigation into the Democratic leadership’s knowledge of former Rep. Eric Massa’s (D-N.Y.) misconduct.

The call came after The Washington Post earlier in the day published new details regarding Massa’s alleged sexual harassment of male staffers. 

Massa resigned in early March amid an ethics probe into groping incidents reported by several of his staffers. The House later voted to ask the ethics committee to open an investigation into what Democratic leaders knew of the charges against Massa. 

“It is now readily apparent that Congressman Massa’s pattern of troubling behavior continued long after Democrats first became aware of his conduct,” Boehner said in a statement. “It is time for the ethics committee to heed this call and launch an investigation to determine what Democratic leaders knew about former Rep. Massa’s behavior.”

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-Md.) office acknowledged that members of Massa’s staff brought the allegations to its attention and that Hoyer informed the ex-congressman’s staff to inform the ethics committee of them within 48 hours, or else he would.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office has said it knew of separate information related to Massa’s living arrangement with male staffers, but not the groping in particular, as far back as October. Once Hoyer’s staff informed Pelosi’s of the groping allegations, Pelosi’s office concurred with their course of action, according to their office.

Boehner said he wants to know what the leadership knew and what steps leaders took to protect staffers from Massa’s behavior. 

Among the new details reported is that Massa made advances at a male bartender at the wake of a fallen Marine from his district.

Boehner’s office would not say whether the leader intends to call for another vote on the Massa matter. Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said, “Stay tuned.”