The office of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has found itself embroiled in controversy following allegations of sexual harassment against a former top aide, Mike Vereb.
The allegations have resurfaced at a time when Shapiro is considered a leading contender for the position of Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate. Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro's office, informed the New York Times that Shapiro was not made privy to the accusations against Vereb until "months" after they were initially raised.
As reported by The Post Millennial, the allegations against Vereb include explicit sexual remarks directed at a female employee. When the employee rejected his advances, Vereb allegedly retaliated by criticizing her job performance. The accusations against Vereb were not limited to sexual harassment; he was also accused of providing legal advice to then-Secretary of Legislative Affairs Mike Vereb while simultaneously investigating him for workplace harassment claims. These claims were made by a subordinate in March 2023, and Vereb resigned from his position in September 2023. The resignation was reportedly linked to the harassment allegations made by a female deputy who had worked in Verebs office but resigned only a month after taking the job.
The accusations were eventually settled out of court for a sum of $295,000. The woman at the center of the allegations recounted a disturbing 2018 phone call with Vereb. She told ABC News that Vereb had threatened her, saying, "by the time he and Josh were done with me, I would be worse than nothing." She further quoted Vereb as saying, "You are going to continue to be nothing by the time Josh and I get done with you." She expressed her distress not only at Vereb's aggressive tone but also at his apparent ease in making such threats.
In a 2023 email to one of Shapiro's deputy chiefs of staff and a group of state legislators, the woman detailed her encounter with Vereb, stating, "[Vereb] confronted and threatened me that evening leaving me weeping and in shock standing alone in a parking lot." She also mentioned that Vereb had named several influential individuals in Harrisburg and hinted at the involvement of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The threatening phone call she received from Vereb occurred during a policy dispute between her nonprofit advocacy group for abused children and the attorney generals office.
The woman claimed that she had raised the issue in 2018, and one of the individuals she approached was a member of Shapiros office who "compassionately listened" but unfortunately passed away before being able to assist her further. State Rep. Abby Major, a Republican lawmaker who received the womans 2023 email, told ABC News, "[Vereb and Shapiro] have a history of Mike being his enforcer -- they play good cop, bad cop. Mike [was] out doing Josh's dirty work so Josh can be the guy that everybody loves."
In response to the allegations, Bonder stated that the then-attorney general was not made aware of the complaint and condemned Verebs actions. "This incident occurred 6 years ago and was not reported to agency leadership at the time," Bonder said in a statement. "This alleged behavior would be completely inappropriate and would not be toleratedand any use of the Governor's name in this manner is unacceptable."
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