Massa wrote chief of staff $40,000 check after announcing he would quit Congress

By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 16, 2010

The day after Rep. Eric Massa announced he was resigning his office amid a sexual harassment scandal, the congressman wrote a $40,000 check from a campaign account to his chief of staff, federal campaign records show.

The New York Democrat described the March 4 payment to Joe Racalto, his top congressional adviser, as a "campaign management fee." Racalto said Friday through his lawyer that the payment was for work on the congressman's reelection campaign for 2010. His lawyer said Racalto agreed to defer being paid for at least several months -- until he learned the congressman was not going to stay in office.

Racalto confirmed through his lawyer Friday that he filed a sexual harassment complaint against the congressman on March 23. The lawyer, Camilla McKinney, declined to provide details but sources in Massa's office said Racalto told them Massa repeated propositioned him for sex.

The payment came at a unusual confluence of events. Because of the resignation, Massa's reelection campaign was, for all practical purposes, abruptly ending. At the same time, the House ethics committee and numerous reporters were contacting Racalto, seeking to interview him about allegations that his boss had sexually harassed and groped staff. Racalto, as The Post reported last week, knew the most about several male staffers' repeated complaints concerning Massa's lewd talk and sexual touching. He had also told staffers that he was sexually harassed by Massa.

(More here.)