Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) supports the removal of state Rep. Bill Kramer (R) from his role as Assembly majority leader amid allegations of sexual and verbal harassment, deeming him unfit for a “position of public trust” after a speech at the Monona Terrace Convention Center on Wednesday.
“[A]s I said the other day, I thought it was appropriate for the speaker [Rep. Robin Vos] and others in leadership to move to have him out of office in the leadership position,” Walker told reporters, according to the Capital Times. “Assuming that what’s been alleged against him is accurate, I don’t think that he or anybody else like that should be in a position of public trust.”
Kramer, accused of groping a legislative staffer and verbally harassing a lobbyist, admitted himself into an unspecified treatment facility on Saturday.
On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled state Assembly voted unanimously in a closed session to dismiss Kramer from his position as the second-most powerful member in the Wisconsin legislature. The Waukesha representative has been a member of the state Assembly since 2007 and its majority leader since September of 2013.
The same day, Kramer’s colleagues temporarily replaced him with state Rep. Pat Strachota (R), who will not be seeking re-election this fall.
Walker first endorsed Kramer’s ouster on Monday, calling his behavior “outrageous,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
On the broader state of women’s treatment at the state Capitol, Walker told reporters that “unfortunately, there have been examples -- not quite like this, but similar -- from members of both parties.”
“Whether it’s Rep. Kramer or anyone else, if there are situations that make anybody feel at risk or threatened, there is just no place for that,” Walker said, encouraging victims of sexual harassment to “speak out against” their offenders.
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