A green haired Washington Democrat accused one of her aides of sexual assault, but is now being sued for sexually harassing the man thatc she accused for the same thing.
Emily Clouse, who is a county commissioner in Olympia, Washington fired her aide Allyn Hershey just 30 short minutes after he reported misconduct to county authorities. County Manager Leonard Hernandez also reportedly asked how many months of paid leave with benefits would be required to keep his mouth shut about the relationship.
Hershey alleges that Clouse not only pressured him to be in a relationship with her, but also coerced him to run her errands and loan money that was reportedly never repaid. He reported up to $1,500 being loaned, and not returned. He is now suing the Commissioner for $750,000.
Hershey was hired in April of 2024, and a probe into the relationship concluded that Clouse likely did not sexually harass her underling, and that their relationship was consensual. Hershey disagreed with the conclusion.
“A lot of this was unwelcome, but I felt pressured into doing so because my entire job was to keep Emily happy,” he said.
How could such a situation arise, where an employer makes a sexual advance on a subordinate, and that subordinate doesn’t feel like they have to allow those advances to be successful?
In late July, Hershey allegedly texted the Commissioner stating intent to possibly quit. Clouse stated that her lover quitting was one of her biggest fears. Reports also indicate however, that the two kissed at a political event weeks before he was formally hired as an aide.
After telling his boss that he was considering leaving his position, he went to HR. Hershey explained that he feared Clouse would fire him in retaliation. When interviewed by HR, Clouse apparently did not disclose the relationship the two shared.
It seems somewhere along the line, Clouse attempted to flip the script and accuse Hershey of sexual assault before allegations were brought against her. Court documents reveal that Clouse retracted that complaint during the investigation.
The left has published headlines referring to Clouse as 'glamorous' in light of the accusations against her. Imagine for a second, that the roles were indeed reversed as Clouse initially claimed, would Hershey be complimented as he is accused of sexual assault?
