BOSTON (AP/WHDH) — Former Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg demonstrated a lack of judgment and leadership and “failed to protect the Senate” from his husband, who has been charged with sexual misconduct, according to an ethics report released on Wednesday.
The Senate Ethics Committee said independent investigators found that Rosenberg did not formally violate any Senate rules, but he did violate the chamber’s information technology policies by giving Bryon Hefner “unfettered access” to Rosenberg’s Senate email account. However, both Gov. Charlie Baker (R-Mass.) and Attorney General Maura Healey have called on Rosenberg to resign.
While not calling for any specific sanctions against Rosenberg, the committee recommended that the Amherst Democrat not serve in a position of leadership or as chair of any committee for the remainder of his current term, or during the 2019-2020 legislative session.
The investigation began in December after allegations surfaced that Hefner sexually abused or harassed several men, including some with business before the Senate.
Rosenberg stepped down as Senate leader shortly after the probe began, though he remains in the Senate and has said he intends to run for re-election to his seat in November.
The investigation was conducted by attorneys from the Boston law firm of Hogan Lovells, including Anthony Fuller, a former federal prosecutor.
“The special investigator’s conclusions — which do not establish a violation of any formal Senate rule — nonetheless demonstrate a significant failure of judgment and leadership by Senator Rosenberg in his role as Senate President,” the report stated. “That failure undermined the integrity of the Senate and had destructive consequences for the Senate and the people with business before it.”
“Essentially, Senator Rosenberg failed to protect the Senate from his husband, whom he knew was disruptive, volatile and abusive,” the investigation found.
In 2014, before his election to the top post in the Senate, Rosenberg assured his colleagues that he would build a “firewall” between his professional and personal life, following reports that Hefner had boasted on social media about his influence with Rosenberg.
But that firewall was “ineffective,” the report stated, in restricting his husband’s access to the Senate President’s office.
Hefner, 30, pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court last month to charges of sexual assault, criminal lewdness and distributing nude photos without consent. He was released on personal recognizance and his attorney has said he would defend himself in court.
Messages left with a spokeswoman for Rosenberg Wednesday were not immediately returned.
Rosenberg announced earlier this year that he and Hefner had separated.
According to investigators, Rosenberg was aware that Hefner “routinely expressed in graphic terms sexual interest in members of the Senate and Senate staff,” and was also aware that his husband had downloaded and texted images of nude men.
Rosenberg also was aware that Hefner had once used racial epithets against a Senate staffer, the report said, and told the staffer to report the incident to the Senate counsel.
Rosenberg, 68, was the first openly gay lawmaker to lead a legislative chamber in Massachusetts.
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