An upstate Republican congressman who’s mulling a run for New York governor — and has likened Gov. Andrew Cuomo to disgraced ex-pol Anthony Weiner — allegedly molested a female lobbyist in a bar in 2017, according to a report Friday.
The incident involving US Rep. Tom Reed of Corning allegedly took place in Minneapolis and targeted Nicolette Davis, then 25 and a junior lobbyist for insurance giant Aflac, the Washington Post reported.
“A drunk congressman is rubbing my back,” Davis reportedly texted a friend and co-worker.
Another text said, “HELP HELP,” according to the paper.
Reed allegedly fumbled with Davis’ bra through her blouse and unhooked its clasp, then put his hand on her thigh and moved it upward, she told the paper.
A man seated next to her grabbed Reed and tossed him out of the bar when Davis asked for help, she said.
In a prepared statement, Reed said, “This account of my actions is not accurate,” but he declined to answer a list of detailed questions, the Washington Post said.
Reed later declined to comment to a pool reporter on Capitol Hill, saying, “We issued a statement. We’re gonna go.”
Reed, 49, is married to his college sweetheart, Jean, with whom he has two children, according to his campaign website.
A former mayor of his hometown of Corning, he has served in Congress since 2011 and is a co-chairman of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.
US Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) has been accused of sexual misconduct. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno Last month, Reed told Fox News that he was “definitely looking” at challenging Cuomo next year, saying the three-term Democrat “needs to be taken down” over the controversy over nursing home deaths from COVID-19.
Since then, Cuomo has been engulfed by a spiraling sexual harassment scandal that led Reed to say it “reminds me of the Anthony Weiner situation that we lived through in Congress” during an interview with The Post earlier this month.
Weiner’s serial sexting habit forced him to resign from Congress, torpedoed a surging comeback campaign for mayor and ultimately sent him to federal prison for sending obscene material to a 15-year-old girl.
Additional reporting by Steven Nelson
