Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida suggested increased personal responsibility is the answer to the burgeoning sexual harassment problem on Capitol Hill Monday morning.
Rubio asserted there was nothing particular to the institution of congress that encouraged illicit behavior, asserting simply that “people need to stop being creeps” and “regulate” themselves during a Politico Playbook interview on Capitol Hill.
The forceful statement was given in response to a question regarding what steps Congress should take to prevent sexual harassment beyond the mandatory training being implemented in the wake of numerous allegations brought against lawmakers by current and former staffers.
“The more power people have, sometimes, the more immune they think they are, sometimes, from the rules,” Rubio told Politico Playbook authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman.
The Florida lawmaker said he could not explain why the numerous allegations levied against President Donald Trump did not derail his campaign.
“Part of it is that it happened in the midst of a heated and divisive political campaign where people are going to keep to their corners,” Rubio said. “Beyond that, I don’t know.”
Unsurprisingly, the specter of sexual harassment allegations against Republican Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore emerged during the short interview. Rubio charted a middle course – expressing trepidation at the prospect of having someone accused of sexual misconduct as a colleague – while pointing out the importance of retaining a Republican majority in the upper chamber.
“It is a complicated, difficult situation. Because on the one hand, as a Republican, you want the Republican Party to keep the seat. On the other hand, I personally find the accusations against him to be credible and I don’t think he has done or said anything in the last month that has helped himself or in any way made me feel better about it,” Rubio said.
“But he’s staying in the race, the people of Alabama will have their vote and we’ll move on from there,” he added.
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