Attorneys demand removal of explicit images of ex-Washington Commanders cheerleaders from records

Lawyers for more than 40 former Washington Commanders cheerleaders sent a forceful letter demanding ‘sexualized and salacious photographs’ of the ex-employees are removed from congressional records. 

The letter, addressed to Republican House Committee on Oversight and Reform ranking member James Comer (Kentucky), follows the GOP’s release of partially-explicit images of the cheerleaders in a December 7 memorandum.

It served as an rebuke in anticipation of the Democrat-led investigation into Dan Snyder and the Washington franchise. 

In the 209-page report, faces and some body parts of the cheerleaders were blacked out. Though attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent the former employees, explained their clients were ‘humiliated and incensed by the GOP’s reckless dissemination of these photographs.’

Originally, the photos were part of lewd emails sent by Washington’s departed GM, Bruce Allen to its ex-coach Jon Gruden, alongside others. 

It was confirmed to ESPN by a committee Republican aide that the aforementioned images would not, and have not, been in the Congressional record. 

Daniel Snyder made misleading statements to congress when he testified as part of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s investigation into sexual harassment and hostile workplace allegations against the NFL’s Washington Commanders, according to a wide-ranging report released Thursday

The aide also revealed in a statement – via the outlet – various steps were undertaken to ensure the women were adequately protected.

‘Prior to circulating the internal memo, Committee staff took steps to ensure all sensitive images involving cheerleaders were redacted and their identities kept confidential.’ 

Banks and Katz’s letter to Comer, sent earlier on Tuesday, argues the GOP members were attempting to achieve more than balance and transparency through the inclusion of the images, with their clients left feeling as if Republican Committee members have ‘chosen to embarrass them publicly for coming forward.’

Attorneys for ex-Washington cheerleaders, Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, sent a fiercely-worded letter to House of Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Members, James Comer (R)

‘There was simply no legitimate reason for GOP members to have done this, and it has caused our clients additional and unnecessary pain,’ the letter from Banks read.

‘Our clients believe that releasing these photos was a desperate effort to protect Mr. Snyder from the scathing findings contained in the Committee’s final report, at their expense.’

The GOP’s memorandum called the House and Oversight and Reform’s report into Snyder and his franchise’s workplace a ‘sham investigation’ and an ‘egregious waste of taxpayer-funded resources’, when it could have otherwise focused on ‘the border crisis, rising inflation, skyrocketing energy crisis, botched Afghanistan withdrawal, COVID relief spending.’

The GOP released a 209-page memorandum in anticipation of the Democrat-led report

Kentucky congressman, James Comer, confirmed investigations will cease into Dan Snyder once the GOP takes over congress. The 118th Congress begins meeting on January 3, 2023

It also suggests the investigation was solely born out of a desire to ‘force Team owner Dan Snyder to give up the Team’ and implies there is ‘credence’ to the notion of a Democrat members wanting to help install Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the new owner. 

‘It appears that the entire effort may have had as its goal the removal of an unfavored owner and the installation of the owner of a left-leaning newspaper sympathetic to the Democratic party,’ the memorandum read. 

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s damning review released Thursday made headlines after diving into sexual harassment and hostile workplace allegations against the team. 

A ‘toxic work culture’ festered for more than two decades, according to the Committee’s report, which claims the team ignored sexual misconduct by high-ranking men within the organization. 

The Democrat-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform report accused Snyder of preventing former employees from testifying to Wilkinson and the House Committee

Snyder gave misleading congressional testimony and interfered with the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into sexual harassment and hostile workplace allegations against the NFL team, according to the wide-ranging report.

Snyder was directly involved in the misconduct, the Committee claims, saying he inappropriately touched a former employee at a dinner and once requested a staff-produced video ‘of sexually suggestive footage of cheerleaders.’ Snyder previously denied the claims. 

The 58-year-old billionaire allegedly interfered in NFL and Committee probes stemming from 2020 allegations of rampant sexual harassment by executives. Specifically, Snyder is accused of offering hush money to witnesses, intimidating others with the help of private investigators, ‘blocking the production of documents,’ and refusing to release former employees from non-disclosure agreements. 

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was critical of the Democrat-led findings, labeling the report ‘stupid.’ 

With the GOP set to take over congress early next year, any investigations into the franchise will cease, as confirmed by Comer in a brief statement after the Republicans clinched a narrow majority in the House for the 118th Congress, which begins meeting January 3.