Utah Democratic Party did not follow its own procedures in handling sexual misconduct claim against

Utah Democratic Party did not follow its own procedures in handling sexual misconduct claim against a former chair candidate, external review finds


The Utah Democratic Party did not follow its own procedures in addressing complaints of sexual misconduct lodged against a candidate for party chairperson in 2017, according to an external report completed by the Democratic National Committee from the State of Washington.

The report, requested by the Democratic Party as part of a review of its harassment policies, does not address the merits of the claims against Rob Miller and instead focuses on whether the party followed its established policies in handling the complaints and makes suggestions for changes. A copy of the report, dated March 10, was shared with The Salt Lake Tribune on Friday.

“The party is aware that mistakes have been made with regard to the implementation of our anti-harassment policies and we are working to repair the process,” said Daisy Thomas, chairwoman of the Democratic Party, in a written statement. “I can’t talk about individual cases because we have an obligation of confidentiality that I will continue to respect.”

The complaints against Miller were first brought to the party in May 2017 outlined in a letter sent to former state Democratic Party Chairman Peter Corroon just weeks before the 2017 party convention. At the time, the party had no anti-harassment policy or procedures in place.

Seven female Democratic activists alleged Miller had kissed and hugged women without consent, stroked their hair without permission, pulled down his pants to show Mormon undergarments and turned one supposed job interview into a date invitation. After the signed letter became public, two male Democratic activists joined the seven women to say they had also witnessed inappropriate behavior by Miller.

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2019/04/27/utah-democratic-party-did/