An Indiana lawmaker and a legislative staffer at the center of groping allegations lodged against Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill have come forward.
Democratic state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon published her own account of the March 15 incident, which occurred at an Indianapolis bar, in The (Northwest Indiana) Times newspaper .
She describes Hill's behavior as "deviant" when she encountered him in the early morning hours after the legislative session ended for the year.
She says he leaned toward her, put his hand on her back, slid it down and grabbed her buttocks. The Munster lawmaker says she told Hill to "back off," but he approached her again later in the night, put his hand on her back and said: "That skin. That back."
"My name is Mara Candelaria Reardon. I am not anonymous. I am a wife, mother, business owner and a state representative. I am also a victim of sexual battery, perpetrated by Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill," she wrote in the piece. "I speak out now, to support the other victims of Attorney General Curtis Hill, who have not yet found their voice."
Gabrielle McLemore, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Senate Democrats, told The Associated Press on Friday that the Republican approached, asked "Do you know who I am?" and cornered her at a bar after the state legislative session came to a close in March.
She said he proceeded to massage her back, while she worried what people who witnessed it would think. Eventually she mouthed the words "help me" to her intern, who interjected by asking McLemore if she wanted to go to the bathroom.
McLemore said she never wanted to come forward. But she said Hill's repeated denials were frustrating.
She also wants to set an example for other women so "they don't feel they have to hide, so they don't feel they did something wrong."
Read More: Curtis Hill Will Not Resign, Calls For 'Thorough Investigation'
Hill has denied allegations that he groped the women, which were included in a confidential memo leaked to news organizations earlier this week. The Associated Press does not identify alleged victims of sexual misconduct or assault unless they come forward publicly.
Hill is a staunch social conservative who is married and has been viewed as a rising star in the Republican Party. The former Elkhart County prosecutor has visited the White House several times since President Donald Trump took office. In May, he warmed up the crowd at a rally Trump held in his hometown.
On Thursday night, Indiana's top GOP leaders joined Democrats who had earlier said Hill should step down.
"Four women had the courage to step forward to report sexual harassment by the Indiana attorney general," Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a statement Thursday night. "The findings of the recent legislative report are disturbing and, at a minimum, show a violation of the state's zero tolerance sexual harassment policy."
Two female Republican statewide officeholders — Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Secretary of State Connie Lawson — later also called on Hill to step down.
The call from high-level Republicans for Hill to resign comes after Democrats ratcheted up political pressure in an election year where female voters could make a big difference at the polls. Over the past week, Democrats have harshly criticized what they characterize as a lackluster Republican response to the allegations against Hill. A Statehouse rally calling for Hill's resignation was being planned for Saturday.
The accusations against Hill were included in a confidential legislative memo that was leaked this week to news outlets, including The Associated Press. The document, which includes details from interviews with six women, offers a picture of a drunken Hill carousing during the party.
Democratic Rep. Ed DeLaney said that if Hill doesn't resign, the Legislature should impeach him.
"I think there is an adequate basis and the law provides for that," said DeLaney, a lawyer from Indianapolis. "I think he has no choice but to resign. But that doesn't mean he will take that choice."
This post has been updated.
