What to Know
- A former staffer for Sen. Chuck Schumer said a draft of a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment by the lawmaker is "completely false"
- She said the document has a forged signature, incorrect basic facts about her and other inaccuracies
- The document was first reported by Axios and has also been called a fake by Schumer's spokesman
A former staffer for Sen. Chuck Schumer said a draft of a sexual harassment lawsuit naming the Senate minority leader and purporting that she was the accuser is "completely false."
Schumer also described the documents and allegations against him as a "phony" smear.
In a statement to NBC News, the staffer named in the document said "the claims in this document are completely false, my signature is forged, and even basic facts about me are wrong.” The development came hours after news site Axios reported the existence of the document and that Schumer's team had turned it over to Capitol Police.
"I have contacted law enforcement to determine who is responsible," the staffer said. "I parted with Senator Schumer’s office on good terms and have nothing but the fondest memories of my time there."
NBC News is protecting the staffer's anonymity at her request, as she says she's a victim of a crime.
"It was a phony allegation, forged from start to finish," Schumer said Wednesday during a news conference.
U.S. & World
He did not say who he believed was behind the document but said his office would pursue "every legal path" on the issue.
Axios earlier reported that Schumer's office disputed basic facts in the documents, including Schumer's whereabouts during two purported allegations in 2011.
”We have turned it over to the Capitol Police and asked them to investigate and pursue criminal charges because it is clear the law has been broken," a spokesman for Schumer told Axios.
He added, "We believe the individual responsible for forging the document should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to prevent other malicious actors from doing the same."
Several media outlets were shopped the document, according to The Associated Press.
