The investigation was not previously reported or required to be made public because both Office of Congressional Conduct (formerly the Office of Congressional Ethics) and the Ethics Committee moved to dismiss the case, citing a lack of evidence, according to the NOTUS report<\/p>\n
In a statement, Costa\u2019s press secretary Lisa Ortiz confirmed the investigation and said all ethics complaints should always be taken seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cRep. Costa fully cooperated with a review conducted by the Office of Congressional Compliance and the House Committee on Ethics several years ago. The OCC recommended dismissal, and the Ethics Committee unanimously voted to dismiss the matter,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
Costa\u2019s office took issue with a number of the accounts provided by NOTUS via email and said it would not address them point-by-point.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe actions of the OCC and the Ethics Committee speak for themselves,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
Costa, 74, currently sits on the House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Foreign Affairs.<\/p>\n
The third-generation Central Valley farmer and descendant of Portuguese immigrants has served in Congress since 2005. He\u2019s running for his 12th term in office to represent the Fresno area\u2019s 21st Congressional District, which includes parts of Fresno and Tulare counties, including the cities of Dinuba, Fresno, Fowler, Kingsburg, Orange Cove, Parlier, Reedley, Sanger, Selma and Visalia.<\/p>\n
Several challengers from both sides of the aisle are vying to unseat Costa in the upcoming June 2 primary election.<\/a><\/p>\n A representative from Costa\u2019s campaign team didn\u2019t immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n While his opponents didn\u2019t appear to make public noise online about the investigation, the Republican Parties of Madera and Tulare counties shared the report on their social media pages.<\/p>\n Details from report on Costa investigation<\/p>\n According to the woman, who is unnamed in the report, she was first approached by Costa on Feb. 5, 2020 when she attended an event hosted by the California State Society, a nonprofit organization that connects Californians in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n The woman told OCE staff that Costa approached her as she was leaving and waiting for her items in the checked bag area. He asked her to dance, and she described the encounter as \u201cuncomfortable,\u201d \u201csexual\u201d and \u201cawkward.\u201d<\/p>\n He later invited her to dinner and offered to help her with her career, the report said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich when it comes from a powerful man, does not mean I want to help you. It means what will you give me in return,\u201d she told investigators.<\/p>\n She said she waited until she had a more secure staff job in Congress before she decided to file the complaint.<\/p>\n The woman said she also witnessed another incident involving Costa and a female intern in a Senate office at a separate California State Society event in December 2021. The woman told the investigators that she saw Costa approach a group of interns and ask a Senate intern to dance, according to the June 2023 interview transcript reviewed by NOTUS.<\/p>\n The Committee on Ethics said in a letter dated April 20th<\/a> that it strongly encourages anyone who may have experienced sexual misconduct by a House Member or staffer, or who has knowledge of such conduct, to contact the Committee, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights or the Office of Employee Advocacy.<\/p>\n
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