Congressman Copperhead

Sorry not sorry - Tom Garrett's a dick.

Rachael Bade, Alex Isenstadt and Kyle Cheney, Politico:

Virginia Rep. Tom Garrett and his wife turned the congressman’s staff into personal servants, multiple former employees to the freshman Republican told POLITICO — assigning them tasks from grocery shopping to fetching the congressman’s clothes to caring for their pet dog, all during work hours.
POLITICO has spoken with four former staffers who detailed a deeply dysfunctional office in which the congressman and his wife, Flanna, often demanded that staff run personal errands outside their typical congressional duties. The couple called on staff to pick up groceries, chauffeur Garrett’s daughters to and from his Virginia district, and fetch clothes that the congressman forgot at his Washington apartment. They were even expected to watch and clean up after Sophie, their Jack Russell-Pomeranian mix, the aides said.

The staffers said they feared that if they refused Garrett‘s or his wife’s orders — both were known for explosive tempers — they would struggle to advance in their careers. It wasn't just full-time staff: many of the allegedly inappropriate requests were made of interns, the former aides said.

- and -

A spokesman for Garrett, Matt Missen, declined to address a detailed list of complaints about the office.

“We see no reason to respond to anonymous, unfounded allegations primarily targeting Congressman Garrett’s wife, made by POLITICO’s ‘unnamed’ sources,” he said. “It is easy to spread untruths and even easier to exaggerate and imply wrongdoing when none exists.”

That's a fairly lengthy "no comment", Mr Missen.

And then - I guess continuing in "no comment mode":

Missen said there is “no ethics investigation” into the office and that “to ensure that all staff follow the rules, Congressman Garrett has had lawyers from the House Ethics Committee meet with him and his staff (to include district staff via telephone) to brief everyone on the ethics rules pertaining to congressmen and staff, and to answer any questions.”

That's classic.

First, the non-denial denial, covered in a thick creamy layer of passive language.

But second - holy crap. Both Mr Garrett and Mrs Garrett assigned public employees tasks that have nothing to do with conducting the public's business - obviously in violation of ethics rules, if not strictly illegal - and the solution Garrett hits on is to get the Ethics Office lawyers to come in and explain to the staffers that what the staffers did was wrong.

Chutzpah, level: Supreme High Master Asshole.

And BTW, can you say "waste fraud and abuse", motherfucker?