Texas Democrats — Ted Cruz has been proudly and repeatedly trumpeting Javier Palomarez as a critical member of his desperate “Democrats for Cruz” effort, but
a new report in The Daily Beast reveals Palomarez has been accused of sexual harassment and has also been the subject of multiple sexual harassment lawsuits over a period of decades.
According to the report, “a lower-ranked colleague of Palomarez alleged in court in 1996 that he made ‘suggestive comments’ and kissed and touched her on a work trip,” and in 2018 “Palomarez’s chief of staff at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce claimed she was ‘subjected to discrimination on the basis of their gender, sexual harassment, and a generally hostile work environment,’ in a lawsuit.”
The Daily Beast: Top ‘Democrat for Cruz’ Accused of Sexual Harassment
By Will Bredderman
- Sen. Ted Cruz has sought to soften his image as a conservative hardliner and recast himself as a lawmaker unafraid to reach across the aisle—but one of the top figures he’s recruited for his “Democrats for Cruz” group has been accused of crossing far more serious lines.
- Cruz (R-TX), facing a tougher-than-expected re-election struggle against Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), lit up social media last month with ads and public appearances featuring supporters from the other side of the partisan divide. And none has featured more prominently, whether on Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube, than U.S. Hispanic Business Council President Javier Palomarez.
- A spokesperson for Cruz did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
- As The New York Times first reported in 2018, a lower-ranked colleague of Palomarez alleged in court in 1996 that he made “suggestive comments” and kissed and touched her on a work trip. The matter was ultimately settled, an attorney for the alleged victim told the Times.
- A more explosive case arose more than two decades later, when Palomarez’s chief of staff at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce claimed she was “subjected to discrimination on the basis of their gender, sexual harassment, and a generally hostile work environment,” in a lawsuit against the business advocacy group.
- Her complaint alleged that under Palomarez, then the organization’s president and CEO, she had suffered remarks about her appearance and clothing in the presence of other employees, as well as “inappropriate, unwanted, and unconsented to touching.”
- The suit also raised the aide’s concern that Palomarez used to deliberately “play into and perpetuate” rumors the two of them were having an affair through his “handsy” and “flirtatious” behavior. She also accused him of referring to her and other female workers as “f-ing bitch.”
