Ohio Republican Cliff Hite, who famously played his son at quarterback over Big Ben until his son graduated.
[h=1]Woman in Legislative Service Commission: Former Sen. Cliff Hite implored her for sex[/h]
By JIM PROVANCE and NOLAN ROSENKRANS | BLADE STAFF WRITERS
Published on Oct. 27, 2017 | Updated 6:00 p. m.
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This article has been updated to clarify that it is unclear what position the woman holds with the Legislative Service Commission.
COLUMBUS — A Legislative Service Commission employee who filed a sexual-harassment complaint against former state Sen. Cliff Hite (R., Findlay) alleged he repeatedly harassed her over several months to have sex with him, according to documents provided to The Blade.
The harassment complaint filed by the employee of the commission — which helps lawmakers in both chambers draft proposed legislation — details months of requests for sex, inappropriate questions about her personal life, and a constant pursuit after the pair met in August. Mr. Hite, 63, has admitted to “inappropriate behavior,” while stressing there had been no “inappropriate physical contact.”
The senator resigned Oct. 16.
Read the letter filed against Senator Hite
RELATED CONTENT: Resigned senator apologizes for 'inappropriate' behavior ■ Ohio Senate GOP seeks replacement ■ Editorial
A Legislative Service Commission employee filed a sexual harassment complaint against former state Sen. Cliff Hite.
THE BLADE
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In the complaint filed Oct. 11, the woman describes meeting the married Mr. Hite in August, when he on several occasions asked her to add him to her Facebook friends list. She initially declined, but after he sent her a friend request, she accepted after seeing he was friends with other statehouse employees.
He swiftly began messaging her in a personal manner, asking if she missed him and what her plans were, so she blocked him, according to the complaint.
The next day, he came to her office to ask why, and she told him it was inappropriate. He left, but came back to her office, and allegedly told her that he needed a casual sexual relationship, using a more crude phrase.
According to the complaint, he admitted to the woman that he had previously had an affair, and that he had a condominium in Columbus they could go to, in an attempt during a more than hour long conversation to convince her to have sex with him.
The woman reported he said he was a “grown man with needs,” and that he needed oral sex.
“She said that she told him 'no' approximately eight to nine times during the conversation,” according to the complaint.
“No” did not work, as he repeatedly implored her for sex and described how well he would please her. The conversation, she said, made her uncomfortable, as he was a state senator in her office.
He came back to her office the next day to ask if she changed her mind; she said no, and that she never would. According to the complaint, Mr. Hite knew that she was engaged.
In his Oct. 25 written response to the memorandum of complaint, Mr. Hite both apologized for his conduct and said he disagreed with “many of the representations in the complaint, some of which I don’t believe happened, were misunderstood, or were portrayed inaccurately...”
He called some of his comments “inappropriate,” but thought it was “welcome and reciprocated.”
“I did not understand or believe that my comments and actions were offensive to the complainant, and it is now deeply troubling to read that she felt otherwise,” he wrote. “I apologize that some of my actions made her feel uncomfortable or disrespected.”
He emphasized that he never promised any employment benefits to her, or threatened her.
“The person described in this complaint is not who I aspire to be, and the people who know me well can attest to that,” he wrote. “I have sincerely apologized publicly to the complainant, and I stand by the statements in my public apology.”
The complaint says Mr. Hite continued for weeks to come by her office to ask if she changed her mind, would hug her, and invite her to dinner, receptions, or his condo. He would ask for hugs, make sexually suggestive jokes, and said that he would stay married and she would stay engaged even if they had an affair.
She wrote that the stress caused her to miss two days of work, and she stopped eating and sleeping.
On Oct. 10, he again hugged her, and followed her as she went through a parking garage, breaking off when another commission employee arrived. When she returned to the garage, however, he was waiting for her in his convertible, and drove alongside her asking her to get in.
He asked her if she found that offensive, she said, and she responded “every minute.” The next day, he sent her flowers with a note referencing the convertible and his office number. She filed her complaint that day.
In a statement soon after he abruptly resigned, Mr. Hite vaguely referenced the alleged acts.
"After we met, I sometimes asked her for hugs and talked with her in a way that was not appropriate for a married man, father, and grandfather like myself," Mr. Hite said. "Beyond those hugs, there was no inappropriate physical contact.
"I recognize that this was inappropriate behavior," he said. "She deserves more respect than that and so does my wife. I apologize completely. This is no one's fault but my own. I'm proud of my long career as a teacher, coach, and legislator, but I'm not proud how I acted with this person."
Mr. Hite had been in the General Assembly since 2007, first in the House of Representatives before being appointed to a Senate vacancy in early 2011. The large 1st Senate District represents most of Ohio’s rural northwestern corner. He chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee.
The former senator could not immediately be reached Friday night.
[h=1]Woman in Legislative Service Commission: Former Sen. Cliff Hite implored her for sex[/h]
By JIM PROVANCE and NOLAN ROSENKRANS | BLADE STAFF WRITERS
Published on Oct. 27, 2017 | Updated 6:00 p. m.
-
A Legislative Service Commission employee filed a sexual harassment complaint against former state Sen. Cliff Hite.
THE BLADE
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This article has been updated to clarify that it is unclear what position the woman holds with the Legislative Service Commission.
COLUMBUS — A Legislative Service Commission employee who filed a sexual-harassment complaint against former state Sen. Cliff Hite (R., Findlay) alleged he repeatedly harassed her over several months to have sex with him, according to documents provided to The Blade.
The harassment complaint filed by the employee of the commission — which helps lawmakers in both chambers draft proposed legislation — details months of requests for sex, inappropriate questions about her personal life, and a constant pursuit after the pair met in August. Mr. Hite, 63, has admitted to “inappropriate behavior,” while stressing there had been no “inappropriate physical contact.”
The senator resigned Oct. 16.
Read the letter filed against Senator Hite
RELATED CONTENT: Resigned senator apologizes for 'inappropriate' behavior ■ Ohio Senate GOP seeks replacement ■ Editorial
A Legislative Service Commission employee filed a sexual harassment complaint against former state Sen. Cliff Hite.THE BLADE
Enlarge | Buy This Image
In the complaint filed Oct. 11, the woman describes meeting the married Mr. Hite in August, when he on several occasions asked her to add him to her Facebook friends list. She initially declined, but after he sent her a friend request, she accepted after seeing he was friends with other statehouse employees.
He swiftly began messaging her in a personal manner, asking if she missed him and what her plans were, so she blocked him, according to the complaint.
The next day, he came to her office to ask why, and she told him it was inappropriate. He left, but came back to her office, and allegedly told her that he needed a casual sexual relationship, using a more crude phrase.
According to the complaint, he admitted to the woman that he had previously had an affair, and that he had a condominium in Columbus they could go to, in an attempt during a more than hour long conversation to convince her to have sex with him.
The woman reported he said he was a “grown man with needs,” and that he needed oral sex.
“She said that she told him 'no' approximately eight to nine times during the conversation,” according to the complaint.
“No” did not work, as he repeatedly implored her for sex and described how well he would please her. The conversation, she said, made her uncomfortable, as he was a state senator in her office.
He came back to her office the next day to ask if she changed her mind; she said no, and that she never would. According to the complaint, Mr. Hite knew that she was engaged.
In his Oct. 25 written response to the memorandum of complaint, Mr. Hite both apologized for his conduct and said he disagreed with “many of the representations in the complaint, some of which I don’t believe happened, were misunderstood, or were portrayed inaccurately...”
He called some of his comments “inappropriate,” but thought it was “welcome and reciprocated.”
“I did not understand or believe that my comments and actions were offensive to the complainant, and it is now deeply troubling to read that she felt otherwise,” he wrote. “I apologize that some of my actions made her feel uncomfortable or disrespected.”
He emphasized that he never promised any employment benefits to her, or threatened her.
“The person described in this complaint is not who I aspire to be, and the people who know me well can attest to that,” he wrote. “I have sincerely apologized publicly to the complainant, and I stand by the statements in my public apology.”
The complaint says Mr. Hite continued for weeks to come by her office to ask if she changed her mind, would hug her, and invite her to dinner, receptions, or his condo. He would ask for hugs, make sexually suggestive jokes, and said that he would stay married and she would stay engaged even if they had an affair.
She wrote that the stress caused her to miss two days of work, and she stopped eating and sleeping.
On Oct. 10, he again hugged her, and followed her as she went through a parking garage, breaking off when another commission employee arrived. When she returned to the garage, however, he was waiting for her in his convertible, and drove alongside her asking her to get in.
He asked her if she found that offensive, she said, and she responded “every minute.” The next day, he sent her flowers with a note referencing the convertible and his office number. She filed her complaint that day.
In a statement soon after he abruptly resigned, Mr. Hite vaguely referenced the alleged acts.
"After we met, I sometimes asked her for hugs and talked with her in a way that was not appropriate for a married man, father, and grandfather like myself," Mr. Hite said. "Beyond those hugs, there was no inappropriate physical contact.
"I recognize that this was inappropriate behavior," he said. "She deserves more respect than that and so does my wife. I apologize completely. This is no one's fault but my own. I'm proud of my long career as a teacher, coach, and legislator, but I'm not proud how I acted with this person."
Mr. Hite had been in the General Assembly since 2007, first in the House of Representatives before being appointed to a Senate vacancy in early 2011. The large 1st Senate District represents most of Ohio’s rural northwestern corner. He chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee.
The former senator could not immediately be reached Friday night.
