Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat is taking what is described as a medical leave of absence while scrutiny intensifies over how the state legislature handled eight sexual harassment claims.

“In the past few days, the Senate Democrats have met behind closed doors to discuss the future of their caucus and ongoing internal conflicts,” said Oregon Public Broadcasting. “Some Democrats are pushing for a leadership change and argue that with Courtney’s leadership real cultural change will be difficult.”

Tuesday, The Willamette Week reported that the Oregon Legislature has agreed to pay $1.32 million in taxpayer funds to settle eight claims of sexual harassment levied against its members.

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“The investigation found eight women who had suffered harassment by various people that ranged from unwanted touching to verbal and electronic propositioning,” the paper said.

Radio show host Lars Larson, whose broadcast is based in Portland, Oregon, blasted the state lawmakers in his morning commentary.

He said:

This should make taxpayers absolutely furious. Officials agrees to pay 1.3 million taxpayer dollars to settle sex harassment claims because of the bad behavior of elected officials.  The bad behavior has been going on for years and has been ignored or even covered up by some of the top officials in Oregon government… all of them members of the Democrat Party by the way.  Just yesterday, one of the top enablers, Senate President Peter Courtney announced he’s taking ten days of medical leave. Translation…When the heat got too hot, Courtney decides to disappear. That’s a “Profile in Courage.” Courtney has already paid off one employee with your money for the way she was mistreated in his own office. His chief of staff for a dozen years took early retirement and disappeared. House Speaker Tina Kotek has been silent about the mess.  And that million plus dollars already paid…there’s absolutely no guarantee that’s the last of the bills. And if you pay taxes…you’re on the hook for all of it. All of this in the wonderful, woke, progressive, #metoo, snowflake, blue-state, Democrat Party controlled People’s Republic of Portlandia.

“On Monday, Democratic Party chair Jeanne Atkins sent a letter to Senate Democrats urging them to ‘take whatever steps are necessary,’ to show they are committed to eradicating harassment at the state Capitol,” said OPB.

It appears that Oregon lawmakers have just scratched the surface of their own #MeToo scandal.

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