SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Democratic state lawmaker has been stripped of his committee chairmanship following allegations that he groped a woman’s breast during a recent union convention.
The Oregon House co-speakers on Friday removed Rep. Mike Schaufler of Gladstone from the House Committee on Business and Labor, a panel that he co-chaired. The woman he allegedly groped is an employee of the Bureau of Labor and Industry. She was off duty at the time of the incident.
Schaufler could not immediately be reached. In an interview with The Oregonian on Thursday, he denied making an “unwanted sexual advance.”
Democratic Co-Speaker Arnie Roblan says in a statement that he personally investigated the allegations and determined that removing Schaufler from the committee was the strongest course of action available.
