Kentucky House Speaker Resigns Amid Sexual-Harassment Claims

Kentucky Speaker of the House Jeff Hoover stepped down Sunday following reports he secretly settled sexual-harassment allegations with a woman on his staff. “I did make mistakes, in that I engaged in inappropriate text messages,” the Republican lawmaker said at a press conference. “I engaged in banter that was consensual, yet make no mistake, it was wrong on my part to do that. And for that I am truly sorry.” The Courier-Journal first reported on the settlement last week, saying three other Republican state representatives and Hoover’s chief of staff were also parties to the agreement. The report led Gov. Matt Bevin to hold a press conference on Saturday in which he urged “any elected official or state employee who has settled a sexual-harassment claim” to “resign immediately.” While Hoover has given up his post as speaker, he said he will “continue to serve as a state representative.”