Biden's HHS pick Xavier Becerra has a 'Me Too' case connection to Kamala Harris
A former top aide to Harris resigned after settling a sexual harassment case
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President-elect Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services Secretary pick Xavier Becerra was involved in settling a harassment case for a longtime aide of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.
Larry Wallace, who served as the director of the California Division of Law Enforcement under Harris when she was Attorney General, was accused of harassment, demeaning behavior and retaliation in 2016 by his former executive assistant, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
Wallace, for example, allegedly asked his assistant to crawl under his desk to change his printer paper.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A lawsuit against Wallace was filed during Harris’ tenure as Attorney General – but was ultimately settled for $400,000 after she had left for the Senate, by Becerra, who was her successor.
At the time, Wallace had moved on with Harris to work for her as a senior adviser.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He resigned in 2018 when the publication began inquiring about the settlement – a Harris spokesperson at the time said the then-senator had been unaware of the accusations, settlement or lawsuit.
Harris, who will make history as the first woman to serve as Vice President of the U.S., has been an outspoken supporter of the #MeToo movement –an anti-sexual harassment and anti-sexual abuse social movement that focuses on the experiences of affected individuals.
Biden announced Becerra’s nomination on Monday, which was considered somewhat of a surprise.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Before becoming attorney general in California, Becerra served 12 terms in Congress.