Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty is in Washington, D.C. facing more fallout after the controversial exit of her former chief of staff.
The congresswoman, who represents the Fifth District, used a personal email in the confidential severance agreement with Tony Baker, WNPR first reported.
The day after WNPR obtained the un-redacted version of the agreement, Esty’s office provided NBC Connecticut with a draft of the letter of recommendation she wrote for Baker and a copy of the agreement with her personal email blacked out.
According to the severance agreement signed by Esty and Baker on Aug. 10, 2016, the congresswoman’s “Office agrees to remove any negative information regarding Employee’s job performance or behavior form its personnel records.”
Esty kept Baker on staff for months after learning of the allegations that he physically harmed and harassed a former staff member.
“The severance agreement offered lots of things to the departing employee, Esty's former Chief of Staff Tony Baker, including a waiver of repayment of student loans, some severance pay, the promise of a letter of recommendation,” Jeff Cohen, WNPR’s news director, said.
Cohen’s organization originally published the un-redacted version of the severance agreement with Esty’s personal Gmail account, but that has since been taken down.
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“What are we to take from it? We ask those questions of her office yesterday but didn't get a response,” Cohen said. “In fact the last communication we effectively had with them was that if we don't take down the un-redacted version that they would effectively notify the U.S. Capitol Police, effectively that we were harassing the congresswoman.”
NBC Connecticut stopped by Congresswoman Esty’s district office in New Britain, but a press secretary said she is in Washington, D.C.
“To pay the severance and the school loans, like everything else it’s the cover up that’s worse, she should have known better,” said Jim Conroy, a constituent from Esty’s hometown of Cheshire. “It’s good that she’s going to take care of it herself at the end of the term and leave and not seek reelection, I’m ok with that.”
The draft letter of recommendation Esty wrote on Baker’s behalf ends by saying, “Tony has much to offer I am grateful for his service and support over the years. I wish him well as he returns home to use his considerable skills to make a difference in the state he loves.”
After leaving the chief of staff position, Baker had worked as the director of Sandy Hook Promise in his home state of Ohio, but a spokesperson for the nonprofit started by families of Newtown shooting victims said he no longer works for the organization.
Esty’s current Chief of Staff Timothy Daly had no comment about her use of a personal email and the threat to call Capitol Police.
Esty has said she’s made the severance agreement public to show how much needs to change in Congress.
Despite calls to step down from state Democrats, the congresswoman announced Monday she will not seek re-election.
