Days before Josh Shapiro was dropped as Kamala Harris’ running mate, an explosive sexual harassment scandal in his office resurfaced — one that could have cost him his job.
As governor of Pennsylvania, Shapiro’s office recently settled a sexual harassment case against one of his top aides in a settlement that cost taxpayers $295,000.
It also involved the alleged victim signing the kind of comprehensive secrecy agreement that was exposed during the #MeToo scandal.
Shapiro’s handling of the harassment case last year was bound to raise questions about Harris’s judgment in choosing him as her potential vice president.
It was unclear how much of a role the scandal played in Harris’s evaluation of potential running mates, but she ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after Shapiro was widely considered the front-runner.
US Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro during a visit to Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris waves during a campaign rally, July 30, 2024, in Atlanta.
Shapiro’s office paid the money to a former employee who had made a series of accusations against a man who had been one of her closest political friends for two decades.
As part of the settlement, the woman and Shapiro’s office signed a nondisclosure agreement (NDA).
Non-disclosure agreements, which legally require information to be kept confidential, gained prominence during the #MeToo era.
Since then, its use in workplace sexual misconduct cases has been restricted in nearly 20 states, but not in Pennsylvania.
Mike Vereb, 57, was serving as Shapiro’s legislative affairs secretary when he resigned in September.
It later emerged that allegations of harassment had been made against him six months earlier, but he had remained in his post.
The Philadelphia Inquirer obtained a statement from the alleged victim from the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.
In it she described how Vereb had allegedly suggested they should have a sexual relationship.
He allegedly told her: ‘If you decide you want to do that, go ahead and close this office door, tell me to bend you over this conference table, lift your skirt and… that’s our decision.’
She also accused him of making a drunken phone call to her after a reception at Governor Shapiro’s mansion.
During the call, he is alleged to have again suggested they have sex and told her he knew how to hide from security cameras in the tunnels beneath the Pennsylvania Capitol building.
The woman said: “I was uncomfortable with the way Mike acted in the office – his constant sexual comments and the way he addressed work-related issues.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro holds a rally in support of US Vice President Kamala Harris’ Democratic presidential election campaign in Ambler, Pennsylvania, US, July 29, 2024.
After filing her complaint, the woman left her job with Shapiro’s administration.
She also filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
When the settlement was finally reached, neither Vereb nor Shapiro’s office admitted any liability.
Following the official’s resignation, Shapiro’s office publicly defended him.
Shapiro’s Chief of Staff Dana Fritz said, “Mike has spent decades serving our Commonwealth. Mike has been a key member of our team, and thanks to his dedicated service, the Governor’s Office is prepared for the work ahead. We wish Mike all the best and are grateful for his service.”
However, a prominent Pennsylvania Democrat accused Shapiro of being involved in a cover-up.
Erin McClelland, the Democratic candidate for state treasurer in the state, wrote on X: ‘If I were in her (Kamala Harris’) situation, I would think very seriously about the difficulties some women experience being in a senior position and having men around them who have to be content to be second, third or answerable to a woman.
“I want a vice presidential pick who is safe enough to run second to a woman, who is happy to be vice president and who doesn’t undermine the president to rig her own pick and who doesn’t sweep sexual harassment under the rug.”
U.S. President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden (L) and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (R) visit a coffee shop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, July 7, 2024.
In a statement, the National Women’s Defense League said: “We deserve leaders who will not sweep sexual harassment under the rug, but will put accountability above politics.”
We need leaders who prioritize effective policies, protocols and a culture that prevents sexual harassment and protects survivors.
‘The American people deserve to know that, if called to higher office, Governor Shapiro will do more to ensure the safety and dignity of employees, volunteers, and constituents in his office.’
The Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro at the Alan Horwitz Sixth Man Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., Tuesday, July 30, 2024
In a statement to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star days before he became Harris’ running mate, Shapiro sought to quell the scandal.
His spokesman said Shapiro and his administration “take every allegation of discrimination and harassment extremely seriously and have robust procedures in place to thoroughly investigate all reports.”
He said that as state attorney general, Shapiro had a record of “protecting survivors and prosecuting predators,” including “exposing decades of child sexual abuse and cover-ups within the Catholic Church.”