Commanders escape Congressional probe into sexual harassment claims due to GOP victory in the House

Embattled Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder picked up a rare win in this month’s national election, thanks to the Republican victory in the house. 

The congressional investigation of the club will end when GOP takes over early next year, according to the party’s ranking member of the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform that has been looking into the NFL team’s workplace culture.

‘It’s over,’ Kentucky congressman James Comer said in a brief statement, which came after The Associated Press and other outlets projected Republicans clinched a narrow majority in the House for the 118th Congress that begins meeting January 3.

Embattled Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder (right) picked up a rare win in this month’s national election, thanks to the Republican victory in the house

The congressional investigation of the club will end when GOP takes over early next year, according to the party’s ranking member of the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform that has been looking into the NFL team’s workplace culture. ‘It’s over,’ Kentucky congressman James Comer (pictured) said in a brief statement.

Democrats led by chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York and Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois had been presiding over the investigation since last year. Comer vowed over the summer to bring it to a halt if Republicans won House control from midterm elections, as expected.

The team in a statement through legal counsel praised the decision to drop the case.

‘We applaud Rep. Comer for his leadership in putting an end to the investigation into a private company, which has been correctly characterized by sitting members of Congress as a ”farce” and ”an abuse of power,” attorneys John Brownlee and Stuart Nash said, adding the investigation has not interviewed any current employees and has relied largely on those who have been fired or left the organization.

‘The Congressional investigation has added nothing of value to this process and, indeed, the independent firm (Vestry Laight that is) monitoring the improvements in the Commanders’ workplace has singled out the investigation as an impediment to further progress.’

Last week, the District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine (pictured) sued Snyder, the Commanders, Goodell and the NFL in a consumer protection civil lawsuit for colluding to deceive fans by lying about the first inquiry into workplace misconduct that wrapped up in July 2021 and included the team being fined $10 million

A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee said there were no updates on the investigation, which included virtual testimony from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a public hearing and a private virtual deposition by Washington owner Dan Snyder that lasted for more than 10 hours, the contents of which have yet to be released.

‘The Committee has selectively leaked witness testimony while burying evidence, such as Mr. Snyder’s own deposition, that refutes the Committee’s pre-conceived narrative,’ Brownlee and Nash said in their statement.

Congress was overseeing one of multiple ongoing investigations into the team, with the league’s latest review led by former US Attorney Mary Jo White still in progress. 

Dan and wife Tanya recently hired a firm to explore possible transactions, which could include selling part or all of the team Snyder has owned since 1999. 

Last week, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine sued Snyder, the Commanders, Goodell and the NFL in a consumer protection civil lawsuit for colluding to deceive fans by lying about the first inquiry into workplace misconduct that wrapped up in July 2021 and included the team being fined $10 million.

‘For years, the team and its owner have caused very real and very serious harm and then lied about it to dodge accountability,’ Racine said Thursday. ‘They did all of this to hide the truth, protect their images and let the profits continue to roll.’  

Racine said the team and league violated DC consumers’ rights based on what they knew about the organization’s workplace misconduct, alleging Snyder lied about his knowledge of the situation.

Sexual harassment allegations against team employees ranged from inappropriate comments to the creation of a lewd behind-the-scenes video from a cheerleader calendar shoot in 2008, according to a 2020 Washington Post report. 

And in the lawsuit filed last week, an unnamed former team executive referred to Snyder as the ‘Chief Harassing Officer.’ 

Snyder has denied these claims, and in a 2020 statement in response to the Post report insisted: ‘I do not have any knowledge of the ten-year old videos referenced in the story. I did not request their creation and I never saw them.’

Last week, Racine’s office directly accused Snyder of lying in his denials, while cultivating a hostile workplace. 

‘For decades, Snyder has cultivated an environment within the Team that glorifies sexual harassment and punishes victims for speaking out,’ read the lawsuit, obtained by DailyMail.com. 

‘Employees say the workplace was ”like the mafia,” in which Snyder and prominent executives regularly used bullying and vulgar language when talking to subordinates, creating a culture of fear and paranoia. Cheerleaders and female employees were exploited and harassed. 

‘Some male employees were bullied into participating in this hyper-masculine culture for fear of losing their jobs. There was no functional human resources department or reliable mechanism for employees to report harassment and bullying.’

Four posters flanked Racine during his announcement, outlining some of the history of the team’s rebranding efforts that included references to DC and its flag and the history of the NFL’s investigation into the organization’s workplace culture.

‘Dan Snyder assured fans that he would fully cooperate with the investigation and the results could be trusted,’ one of the posters read. ‘That was a lie: He repeatedly attempted to interfere, and the fans could not trust results that were never made public. Because Snyder had a veto.’

The findings of high-profile DC attorney Beth Wilkinson’s investigation were not released in July 2021 when the league fined the team $10 million for having a toxic workplace culture. The final poster read: ‘Fans’ outrage intensified when it became clear that Snyder lied to them: There would be no transparency and no reckoning. That impacted consumer spending decisions.

The lawsuit against the team and the league accuses Snyder of operating a mafia-like club

The DC Attorney General’s lawsuit also references the team’s efforts to block a witness testifying to Wilkinson despite promises to the contrary. 

‘In a second case, the Team’s former General Counsel, Dave Donovan, filed a lawsuit in federal court to block a witness from participating in the ongoing Wilkinson Investigation,’ read the lawsuit. ‘The witness had accused Snyder of sexual assault on his private plane in 2009, resulting in a $1.6 million settlement from the Team. 

‘As the Team’s signatory, Donovan attempted to enforce the confidentiality provisions in the settlement. Snyder had not released this witness from her non-disclosure agreement so she could participate in the Investigation, despite the Team’s assurances to the contrary.’

According to Wilkinson, Donovan’s efforts were part of a ‘weeks-long campaign’ to force the witness into ‘silence and non-cooperation.’

Snyder also allegedly attempted to buy the woman’s silence about the 2009 incident aboard his private plane. 

‘Snyder attempted to pay the witness who had alleged that Snyder had assaulted her in 2009 an additional, substantial sum, beyond the amount paid in the original settlement, to prevent her from discussing the incident with Wilkinson,’ read Racine’s lawsuit. 

Snyder is accused of attempting to buy the silence of witnesses to alleged sexual harassment

And that woman wasn’t alone. 

‘Separately, Snyder offered financial settlements to another group of former employees who had accused Snyder and Team executives of harassment and misconduct,’ the lawsuit continued. ‘Snyder offered money to at least one employee in exchange for her silence in the investigation. Another said, ”It just felt like they wanted to bury this and shut us up.”’ 

The team is being investigated on several fronts, including by the attorneys general of DC and Virginia, Congress and the league. 

Asked about a parallel review into the team’s finances and withholding money from season-ticket holders, Racine said, ‘There’ll be more news on that next week.’ Racine’s office launched an investigation into the team around the time the US House Committee for Oversight and Reform referred its case, which initially centered on workplace culture issues, to the Federal Trade Commission for potential financial improprieties. 

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy previously said former US Attorney Mary Jo White’s review on behalf of the league is ongoing and there is no timetable for when it will be completed.

‘We will issue subpoenas,’ Racine said. ‘We will seek testimony under oath.’