282: Jim Friedrich

Jim Friedrich was an analyst working for Iowa Senate Republicans on oversight issues until he resigned in 2017 after his sexual harassment cost taxpayers $2.2 million. In 2013, Kirsten Anderson, at the time a Republican Caucus communications director, submitted a memo about how sexual harassment created a hostile workplace. She was fired seven hours after she submitted the memo.

Anderson sued, arguing that she was terminated in retaliation for her complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace. This was her third complaint since 2010.

While the lawsuit was against the Senate Republican Caucus and the State of Iowa, Friedrich was a big part of the complaint, asking women about their sex lives, calling them prudes if they refused to answer, He used racist and sexist slurs in the office including the most taboo words.

• Des Moines Register: GOP staffer at center of $2.2 million sex harassment suit resigns
• Derek Smith Law Group: Iowa GOP staffer’s sexual harassment goes to jury
• KCCI: Iowa Senate GOP analyst embroiled in discrimination lawsuit resigns

The Des Moines Register
20 July 2017

275: Travis Brauer

Travis Brauer worked for Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. While on the job, he attended a legislative meeting. Seated on the floor because the room was packed, he was seen taking upskirt photos of a woman. She reported it to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol which was desultory in its response. She also wrote a letter to Governor Fallin. By the time the man was questioned, he had deleted the pictures though his search history showed he had recently researched how to permanently delete photos. He was charged with submitting false testimony and destroying evidence. After two years of legal wrangling, he pled guilty and was given 80 hours of community service.

• KFOR: Woman speaks out over upskirt photographs allegedly taken by former aide to Governor Fallin 
• NonDoc: Former Mary Fallin staffer investigated for upskirt photo
• Oklahoma State Courts Network: Oklahoma vs. Travis Brauer

The Daily Oklahoman
17 Sep 2017

The Daily Oklahoman
17 Sep 2017

262: James Maines

James “Dub” Maines was was Texas Representative Joe Barton’s deputy district director. That position is one that involves working with the public to help them with different government agencies. It’s a constituent service position. If you’re curious, here is a job description. He was arrested in 2013 when AOL noticed he was emailing child sexual exploitation material from his personal AOL account to his house.gov work e-mail. They let the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children know and the DOJ began investigating. They reported that he had been receiving child pornography since 2004.

He pleaded guilty, admitting he knew he had 17 images of child sexual exploitation material, some of it depicting sadistic acts. Some were of a girl between 6 and 10 years old. He was sentenced to five years in prison and 5 years supervised release.

• US News: Child porn sent to congressional e-mail address dooms staffer
• McClatchy: Former Barton aide gets 5 years for child porn
• Roll Call: Ex-Aide sentenced to 5 years in child porn case

260: Rory A. Koch

Rory A. Koch was a Republican staffer in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In 2010, he was running for Ramsey County Board when he was arrested and charged with twelve counts of possessing child pornography. He received 25% of the vote. The child-porn investigation was not public knowledge.

The Minnesota Crimes Against Children Task Force were tipped off that someone with the screen name Chadwhite73 was likely disseminating child exploitation materials. AOL identified the account as belonging to Rory Koch and his home was searched. He acknowledged receiving it but claimed he could not delete it. There were 68 images on his computer.

Koch was convicted and sentenced to five years.

• Minneapolis Star-Tribune: House GOP staffer faces child-porn charges
• Twin Cities Pioneer Press: Former Minnesota House staffer gets 5 years for child pornography.

St. Cloud Times
20 Aug 2012

242: Will Folks

Will Folks was Governor Mark Sanford’s spokesperson. In July 2005, he resigned on a Friday, planning to open his own political consulting firm. That night he kicked the door in at the home he shared with his fiancée and pushed her down, leaving her bruised. The resignation had been announced earlier and could have nothing to do with the incident. A warrant was issued for criminal domestic violence. He turned himself in on Saturday. Though he originally denied the charge but he changed his plea to guilty in what he claimed was a chivalric desire to protect her from private details that would come out in a trial.

He was given a 30-day suspended sentence.

He is also the blogger who claimed to have an affair with Nikki Haley which she denied. Now he runs the web site FITSnews.com which claims to be independent and unapologetic. It certainly is as happy to highlight Republican corruption as Democratic corruption so it is no FOX or Breitbart disinformation site.

• News19: Governor’s former spokesman arrested
• WIS10: Will Folks pleads guilty to criminal domestic violence.
• Columbia Journalism Review: A Day in the life of South Carolina’s Sic Willie

Greenville News
24 July 2005

211: Ron Williams II

Ron Williams II was one of the people assigned to Trump’s failed Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. He was formerly an intern for Republican Commission member J. Christian Adams. The commission was a complete failure and Ron Williams getting arrested for possession of child exploitation materials didn’t inspire confidence.

Police got a tip from the National Center for Missing Children and checked his phone and found multiple files of child exploitation materials.

• Pacific Standard: Conflict Mounts Inside Voting Fraud Commission in the Wake of Child Porn Arrest
• Washington Post: Trump Voting Fraud Commission Researcher arrested on child pornography charges.

New York Daily News
10/13/2017

155: Matthew Pennell

Matthew Pennell was an aide for Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas. He was charged with child molestation and possession of child sexual exploitation materials. He was charged with 17 offenses and pled guilty to two in an agreement that resulted in two concurrent twelve-month sentences and registering as a sex offender for life with lifetime supervision. He was given credit for time served before trial, reducing his sentence even more. There is remarkably little newspaper record remaining considering this was only seven years ago.

• KSN: Kansas congressional aide sentenced for child sex charges
• Pocono Record: Huelskamp aide sentenced to two years in prison

Wichita Eagle
08 Mar 2015

Hutchinson New
12 Mar 2015

122: Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen used to be Donald Trump’s fixer. He bought off people who could speak to Trump’s character and corruption. He threatened reporters. He had no bottom.He probably would still be Trump’s fixer if he had not been found guilty of campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and perjury.

His trial demonstrated to him that his loyalty to Trump was not reciprocated and he turned on Trump, providing information to Mueller and others investigating Trump. He was sent to prison for three years and was released during the COVID crisis, then in an example of Trump’s pettiness, was sent back to prison to keep him from publishing a book about his work for Trump. He published anyway.

• NY Mag: Michael Cohen to Reporter: What I am Going to Do to You is F’ing Disgusting
• The Guardian: Soulmates: Michael Cohen Describes His Life as Trump’s Fixer in New Book
• Frontline: Flashback: How Michael Cohen Acted as Trump’s Fixer
• Wikipedia: Michael Cohen

New York Daily News
29 July 2015

120: Jason Miller

Jason Miller was a top adviser to Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016 and 2020. He was also a commentator for CNN. He had an affair with A. J. Delgado and they had a child, during a custody battle, she revealed that he had slipped an abortion pill to another woman whom he got pregnant.

• The Wrap: CNN’s Pro-Trump Commentator Jason Miller Exits After Abortion Pill Allegations
• Vanity Fair: Trumpworld’s Jason Miller must pay Gizmodo thousands for accurately reporting insane story about him

New York Daily News
14 Sep 2018

118: Rob Porter

Rob Porter was President Trump’s aide in the White House. He was forced to resign when his ex-wives revealed that he was a domestic abuser.

Colbie Holderness, Porter’s first wife, and Jennifer Willoughby, Porter’s second wife, both said their ex-husband’s consistent abuse was the reason for their respective divorces.

• CNN: Rob Porter’s ex-wives detail abuse allegations
• NY Times: Re-emergence of Trump aide accused of abuse is “Deeply troubling” Ex-wife says
• SLATE: Rob Porter’s history of domestic violence wasn’t a secret, It’s just that no one cared.

The News and Observer
27 February 2018