Dem Rep Kept Aide for Three Months After Learning He’d Threatened a Woman
The congresswoman then co-wrote a positive recommendation letter that allowed the ex-aide to get a new job.

Gary Cameron/Reuters
Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) reportedly kept her chief of staff employed in her office for three months after she learned that he had allegedly threatened a former Esty staffer whom he had dated. The former chief of staff, Tony Baker, said in a voicemail message to Anna Kain in May 2016: “You better f*cking reply to me or I wil f*cking kill you.” According to The Washington Post, Esty “consulted her personal attorneys and advisers” and spoke with Kain, then asked her former chief of staff to “look into Baker’s past behavior.” Three months later, Baker and Esty reportedly co-wrote a “positive recommendation letter” before Baker left Capitol Hill, and Esty signed a contract “preventing her from disparaging him or discussing why he left.” Baker then got a job at Sandy Hook Promise, a gun-control group, but was fired this week.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.