Eric Massa

Long Gone From Congress, 'Tickler' Eric Massa Still Pays Wife With Campaign Cash

Nick R. Martin | February 1, 2012, 12:40PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.)

Eric Massa may be long gone from the US House, but that hasn't stopped the confessed congressional tickler from using leftover campaign cash to pay his wife a nice monthly salary.

The former New York congressman resigned two years ago amid a bizarre scandal in which he admitted to tickling and roughhousing with male staffers while insisting it wasn't sexual.

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Eric Massa

He's Baaaack. House Ethics Committee Votes To Continue Massa Case

Susan Crabtree | July 15, 2011, 2:54PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

When Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) left Congress amid a cloud of charges that he inappropriately touched and sexually harassed a male staffer, most of his Democratic colleagues hoped the issue would fade away -- or at least disappear from public view.

But the House Ethics Committee announced Friday that it has voted to continue an investigation it began last year.

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Eric Massa

Ethics Panel Questioned Pelosi On Massa

Rachel Slajda | July 2, 2010, 9:11AM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

The House Ethics Committee, in its probe of sexual harassment allegations made against former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY), has interviewed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Politico reports, likely about how much House leaders knew about the allegations and how they responded.

Politico also reports that the committee will release its report on the investigation soon.

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Eric Massa

Massa To Esquire: Cheney And Petraeus Discussed 'A Coup D'Etat'

Jillian Rayfield | May 24, 2010, 12:42PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

In a new Esquire profile, beleaguered former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) claims to have inside knowledge of a series of secret meetings between General David Petraeus and Dick Cheney in which the former Vice President encouraged Petraeus to run for President. If Petraeus had been successful, Massa says, it would have been "the functional equivalent of the political overthrow of the commander in chief."

The profile also paints Massa (D-NY) as a somewhat frustrated and pathetic figure, "a disgrace in moccasins," who tried to kill himself twice following allegations that he had sexually harassed staffers.

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Ethics

New House Ethics Paradigm: Leadership Must Rat Out Members

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 7:28PM

Former Rep. Mark Foley, Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), and former Rep. Eric Massa

After learning that Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) had an affair with a staffer, two House Republican leaders felt compelled to inform the ethics committee of the matter. Why?

Taking that step appears to be part of a new M.O. when leadership hears about an allegation of misconduct: tell the ethics committee quickly to inoculate yourself and your party against accusations of inaction later on.

"That's the new standard: the leadership ratting out its members where there's an allegation of misconduct," Stan Brand, a former House general counsel, tells TPMmuckraker.

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Bertha Lewis

Muckraker Favorites Star On Time's Least Influential List

Zachary Roth | April 30, 2010, 2:55PM

Clockwise from top-left: Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), and former AIG Financial Products chief Joseph Cassano

Much more entertaining than Time's 100 Most Influential People list is its 100 Least Influential -- juvenilely titled the "Bum Hundred."

And that's only partly because it contains a handful of TPMmuckraker favorites. For instance:

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Eric Massa

Massa Probe Focusing On Dems' Responses

Zachary Roth | April 22, 2010, 1:28PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

The House Ethics committee's probe into the Eric Massa affair appears to be focused on whether other members or Hill staffers acted appropriately after receiving complaints about Massa's behavior.

After Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office was made aware of the allegations against Massa in February, Massa aides were given 48 hours to notify the ethics committee. Hoyer met yesterday with investigators for the panel and released a statement noting that he has "moved to strengthen protections for staff in the wake of this incident."

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Eric Massa

Report: Feds Open Corruption Probe Of Massa

Justin Elliott | April 21, 2010, 4:16PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

Fresh off the announcement that the House ethics panel is looking into former congressman Eric Massa, the Washington Post drops a bombshell: the FBI is now investigating Massa as part of a corruption inquiry.

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Eric Massa

Ethics Panel Probing Massa Allegations

Zachary Roth | April 21, 2010, 1:58PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

The House Ethics committee has opened a "full and complete investigation" into the sexual harassment and improper payment allegations involving former congressman Eric Massa, it just announced.

The allegations surrounding Massa "are serious and warrant a full and complete investigation," the committee announced. The New York Democrat stepped down last month amid allegations that he sexually harassed staffers. Since then, questions have been raised about a $40,000 payment made to Massa's top aide, Joe Racalto. Racalto had confronted Massa about the harassment allegations, and last week filed a complaint charging that he too had been sexually harassed.

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Eric Massa

Conservative Group Files FEC Complaint Against Massa

Zachary Roth | April 20, 2010, 12:35PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

A conservative legal group that previously has targeted Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) now is going after another Democrat -- Eric Massa.

The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) yesterday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, charging that payments from the former New York congressman's campaign -- one to a former top aide, and another for a car -- broke campaign laws.

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Eric Massa

Harassment And Fraud Charges Fly Between Massa, Former Top Aide

Zachary Roth | April 19, 2010, 11:39AM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

What a mess...

The accusations are flying thick and fast between ex-congressman Eric Massa and his former chief of staff. Last Friday the aide, Joe Racalto, accused Massa of sexually harassing him. For his part, Massa has said that Racalto tricked other aides into approving a $40,000 payment to Racalto from Massa's campaign funds -- a charge Racalto has denied.

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Eric Massa

Massa Aide Got $40K Days Before Boss Resigned

Zachary Roth | April 16, 2010, 6:07PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

Eric Massa used a campaign account to pay $40,000 to his then-chief-of-staff just days before resigning from Congress according to campaign finance records, Politico reports.

Joe Racalto, who received the payment, has been a key figure in the sexual assault allegations that drove Massa, a western New York Democrat, to step down last month.
Racalto reportedly confronted Massa about allegations of sexual harrassment after hearing them from junior staffers, but Massa denied doing anything improper.

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Eric Massa

WaPo: Massa Tried To Pick Up Bartender At Wake For Slain Soldier

Justin Elliott | April 13, 2010, 1:48PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

In the end, it wasn't a tickle fight that led staffers for former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) to take their concerns about the congressman's conduct to House leadership. Rather, it was an incident in which Massa tried to pick up a young bartender at the wake of a 19-year-old Marine who was killed in Afghanistan, according to an epic Washington Post investigation.

The story of Massa and the allegations of sexual misconduct against male staffers has largely gone away since he resigned from Congress just over a month ago.

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Eric Massa

Pelosi: Earlier Massa Conversation Didn't 'Come Close To Any Kind Of An Allegation' (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | March 12, 2010, 10:24AM

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Interviewed by Rachel Maddow last night, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that what her staff was told last year about then-Rep. Eric Massa did not "even come close to any kind of an allegation."

She said the conversation, reportedly between Massa's chief of staff and a Pelosi staffer, "repeated something that had been in the newspaper the day before."

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House Ethics Committee

Reports Conflict On Whether Massa Ethics Probe Remains Open

Justin Elliott | March 12, 2010, 9:27AM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

Is it or isn't it?

Media reports based on anonymous sources are now in conflict about whether the ethics committee is still investigating allegations involving former Rep. Eric Massa.

The ethics committee, perhaps the most opaque institution in Congress, has been mum on the question. So let's review what's been reported.

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Eric Massa

Timeline: What Were Dem Leaders Told About Massa?

Justin Elliott | March 11, 2010, 6:25PM

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), former Rep. Eric Massa and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

Since the House vote today to refer to the ethics committee the question of what Democratic leaders knew about former Rep. Eric Massa before news of harassment allegations broke publicly, it's worth looking at the timeline of what we know so far.

At some point in or before October 2009, Massa took out to dinner a member of Rep. Barney Frank's committee staff, Frank said in a statement today. The staffer told another Frank staffer, who in turn told Frank's co-chief of staff, Maria Giesta.

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Eric Massa

Barney Frank: Massa Took My Staffer To Dinner

Justin Elliott | March 11, 2010, 2:34PM

Representative Barney Frank (D-MA)

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) has released a statement confirming that former Congressman Eric Massa took a member of his staff to dinner, following a Washington Post report on the "date."

Frank says that a member of his personal staff believed that, "although this was not an ethical violation," she thought "it should be called to the attention of former Congressman Massa's Chief of Staff, Joe Racalto, a former colleague."

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Eric Massa

Boehner Asks For Probe Of Massa Case

Justin Elliott | March 11, 2010, 12:17PM

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

The Daily Caller reports that House Minority Leader John Boehner will offer a resolution that calls for an investigation of Democratic leaders' handling of the case of former Rep. Eric Massa.

The Caller suggests that Republicans want the ethics committee to look at how Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- whose staff was reportedly told in October that Massa lived with staffers and used sexually explicit language -- handled the Massa case.

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Eric Massa

Report: House Ethics Panel Drops Massa Probe

Justin Elliott | March 10, 2010, 6:01PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

The House ethics committee has decided to end its investigation of former Rep. Eric Massa, which was launched less than a week ago, the Washington Post is reporting.

Massa reportedly has been accused of groping multiple staffers.

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Eric Massa

'Massa Massage': Ex-Shipmates Details Alleged Sexual Misconduct By Massa

Justin Elliott | March 10, 2010, 3:45PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

Former Navy shipmates of ex-Rep. Eric Massa tell the Atlantic that he several times made aggressive, unwanted advances on subordinates.

A sample allegation from the story:

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Eric Massa

Ex-Volunteer: I Shared A Hotel Room With Massa -- And Nothing Happened

Justin Elliott | March 10, 2010, 2:55PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

A former campaign volunteer for Eric Massa tells TPMmuckraker that Massa asked to share his room at the 2006 YearlyKos convention in Las Vegas -- but "nothing happened that was more interesting than snoring."

"It was reasons of economy," Howard Park, an independent bookseller in Washington, tells us. Park was at the time a netroots activist who was helping Massa on his ultimately unsuccessful 2006 campaign for Congress.

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Eric Massa

Report: Massa Lived With Five Staffers In Small D.C. Rowhouse

Justin Elliott | March 10, 2010, 10:35AM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

In what appears to have been a highly unorthodox living situation for a member of Congress, former Rep. Eric Massa shared a small Washington townhouse with five of his staff members, a local New York newspaper reported last year.

As the revelations about Massa's relationship with his staff continue to stream in, this detail from a "day in the life" profile in the Oct. 9, 2009, Hornell Evening Tribune is sure to raise eyebrows:

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Eric Massa

Hoyer Vs. Massa: All A Misunderstanding?

Justin Elliott | March 9, 2010, 6:00PM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and former Rep. Eric Massa

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters earlier today that he never talked to former Rep. Eric Massa about any ethics allegation, after Massa accused Hoyer of lying about the matter.

"My staff talked to his staff," Hoyer said today.

But it appears that the back-and-forth between the two arose after Massa read an Associated Press article that incorrectly reported Hoyer's original statement on the issue.

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Eric Massa

WaPo: Massa Allegedly Groped Multiple Staffers

Justin Elliott | March 9, 2010, 3:07PM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

The Washington Post cites three anonymous sources who say that former Rep. Eric Massa has been under investigation for allegedly groping multiple male staffers over a period of "at least a year."

And Politico is reporting that Massa also allegedly "conducted himself improperly with interns."

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Eric Massa

Aide: Massa Apologized To Staff For Bad Language In October

Justin Elliott | March 9, 2010, 10:45AM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

In October, former Congressman Eric Massa wrote a memo to his staff apologizing for "chronic use of inappropriate language and pledging to hold himself to a higher standard," his chief of staff tells the Elmira Star-Gazette.

Massa, a Democrat from New York, sent the memo after Chief of Staff Joe Racalto told Massa he "needed to keep himself, you know, to less colorful language," Racalto told the Star-Gazette.

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Eric Massa

Gibbs Calmly Takes Down Massa Over Allegations Of Dem Plot (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | March 9, 2010, 9:59AM

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

With former Rep. Eric Massa appearing on Glenn Beck tonight and slinging charges of a Democratic conspiracy to force him out of Congress, the White House clearly wants to get out in front of this story.

Enter Robert Gibbs.

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Eric Massa

Massa's 'Fracking You' Tale: The Whole Story?

Justin Elliott | March 8, 2010, 3:31PM

Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

On his radio show yesterday, Rep. Eric Massa said he believes his remark to a staffer at a wedding party that "what I really ought to be doing is fracking you" was the incident that led to ethics allegations against him.

But the ethics committee -- whose investigation will end when Massa resigns later today -- has not commented on the nature of the allegations it is probing. And an unnamed Massa aide told Politico the congressman "has been engaged in inappropriate behavior 'for eight months.'"

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Navy

Massa Recalls Sexual Misconduct Allegation From Navy Days (AUDIO)

Justin Elliott | March 8, 2010, 12:50PM

Sailors participate in a "crossing the line" ceremony. Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) inset.

In the same radio monologue in which he admitted telling a male staffer, "what I really ought to be doing is fracking you," Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) defiantly recounted a misconduct allegation from his past that arose after he walked in on a Navy roommate masturbating.

The incident occurred during Desert Storm when Massa, who served for 24 years in the Navy, was based on a ship in the Persian Gulf. He was assigned to watch duty, Massa said on the radio show Sunday. One day, Massa came back early to the small room he shared with another crew member.

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Eric Massa

Hoyer Dismisses Massa Accusation As 'Completely False'

Justin Elliott | March 8, 2010, 12:41PM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

A spokeswoman for Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is dismissing charges by Rep. Eric Massa that Hoyer lied about how an allegation of harassment was brought to the House ethics panel.

On his radio show yesterday, Massa claimed that "Steny Hoyer has never said a single word to me at all, not ever, not once. Not a word. This is a lie. It's a blatant false statement."

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Health Care

Massa Blames Vast Democratic Conspiracy For Forcing Him Out (AUDIO)

Justin Elliott | March 8, 2010, 10:02AM

Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

One of the motifs in the long radio monologue Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) delivered on Sunday is that Democratic leaders conspired to force Massa -- a no vote on health care -- out of Congress.

As TPMDC explains, Massa, who announced last week he will resign today, was a no vote on health care. His departure will mean the threshold for passing the bill would drop by one vote, to 216.

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Eric Massa

Massa To Aide: 'What I Really Ought To Be Doing Is Fracking You' (AUDIO)

Justin Elliott | March 8, 2010, 8:43AM

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY), who is resigning later today, said on his radio show Sunday that he made an "inappropriate" sexual remark to a male aide at a New Year's Eve wedding party.

It's the first time Massa has given a detailed account of the events that he says led to the allegation of sexual harassment against him. Politico has reported that the married Massa "made unwanted advances toward a junior male staffer."

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Eric Massa

Ethics Committee Says It's Investigating Massa Allegations

Justin Elliott | March 4, 2010, 5:29PM

Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

The House ethics committee announced today it is investigating "allegations" about Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) but does not detail the charges. According to Politico, Massa has been accused of making unwanted advances toward a male staffer.

You can read the one-sentence ethics announcement here.

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