The video above (language probably not safe for work) seems to be very similar to what was released today in a report on Democratic state Representative Daniel Patterson.
What everyone assumed was a ethics complaint filed over domestic-violence allegations against Patterson has turned out to be much, much more.
Simply, the investigation done on behalf of the House Ethics Committee recommends Patterson be expelled from the House.
Among other things, the report claims Patterson routinely ignores House rules, "verbally abuses, assaults, and harasses" a bunch of people at the Capitol, is possibly violating court orders, may have written that odd Facebook post under his ex-girlfriend's name, has tried to trade personal favors for votes on bills, and for some reason, the report also notes Patterson may "frequently" smoke weed.
The team of lawyers selected by House Speaker Andy Tobin note in the report that the investigation has "potential historical impact" that was "immediately evident" to the team.
We'll point out the highlights below:
- Patterson's behavior toward other legislators...
Patterson's been "excessively rude, disrespectful, unprofessional, and at times physically confrontational" toward a bunch of folks around the Capitol, the report claims. There are numerous instances of that noted in the report, including calling Representative Jim Weiers a "prick" and an "asshole" for talking about one of his bills in the hallway with someone. This apparently got so bad that some of his colleagues "have taken actions such as securing a weapon and requesting additional security measures at the Capitol," according to the report.
- ...and the legislative staff...
According to the report, there's a "special House policy" that says no legislative staff members are allowed to meet alone with Patterson. Sometimes he'll start "freaking out" and slam the door to his office to begin "ranting and raving." One staff member recalled Patterson describing people as "fucking idiots," "backstabbers," a "fucking baby," and "fucked up." One staffer claimed Patterson referred to Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu as that "fag."
Another staffer recalled Patterson discussing his sexual performance has been "just fine." One staffer recalls Patterson admitting to using marijuana, but saying he disliked "tweakers." Another staffer remembers Patterson writing a letter to Tom Izzo, the coach of the Michigan State University basketball team, asking him for some memorabilia.One lobbyist told the investigators that Patterson did not take kindly to rejection. Patterson apparently "bombarded" one lobbyist who didn't like his bill with emails, phone calls, and meeting requests, even after the session ended. Another lobbyist said Patterson "indicated he would trade his vote on a bill for sex."
- ...and lobbyists.
- The domestic-violence allegations
Investigators say Patterson showed a "fundamental misunderstanding" of the ethics complaint, by just focusing on the domestic-violence allegations -- evidenced by the stuff we've already mentioned above.
The report says Patterson "likely managed" to manipulate, force, forge, or improperly influence the strange Facebook statement on the profile of his ex-girlfriend, Georgette Escobar. The report goes far enough to say Patterson may have actually written it himself.
According to the report, Patterson refused to answer whether he'd written the statement. The report says Patterson also refused to talk about the domestic-violence allegations from his ex-girlfriend and ex-wife, and refused to acknowledge whether he "frequently" smoked marijuana, while "readily denying the use of other illegal substances."
"Rep. Patterson simply lacks any credibility with regard to the allegations of misconduct outlined in this report and has failed to provide us with any reason to believe that the sworn allegations made against him in the various Declarations presented with this report and our other witness statements are inaccurate or over-stated," the report says.
We'll keep you posted on where the investigation goes from here, and you can find the full report below: