After an assistant was purportedly seen on a sex film that was recorded in a Senate hearing chamber, a US senator expressed his ire.
The staff person connected to the video, according to Ben Cardin, is “no longer a Senate employee”.
The Democrat from Maryland said to reporters, “I felt disappointed and enraged. There has been a betrayal. Everything mentioned above.”
US media reports that no charges have been brought. US Capitol Police has been approached by the BBC for comments.
The US media was informed by the law enforcement agency in charge of securing Congress that an investigation was underway.
In a story published on Friday, The Daily Caller stated that a video showing a congressional assistant having “sex with an unknown man in the Senate hearing room” had been shared on a private Facebook group specific to gay men in politics. It’s unclear exactly when it happened.
Politico claimed that the tape looked to have been recorded in room 216 of the abandoned Hart Senate Office Building. Blockbuster hearings, such as the 9/11 Commission and Supreme Court nominees, have taken place in this room.
Ben Cardin, the senator, expressed his disappointment.
The video’s authenticity and the identities of those in it have not been independently verified by the BBC.
Reporters questioned Mr. Cardin on Monday about how an assistant could have gained entry to the Senate hearing chamber.
The senator, who will retire at the conclusion of his term, stated, “These are personnel issues.”
“Over the weekend when I learned about it, I made sure that… the appropriate steps were taken,” he stated.
The assistant in question was fired, Minnesota Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar informed reporters.