Omar Ashmawy, a congressional ethics official, is being sued for both verbally and physically abusing women, according to a new report from Foreign Policy. The federal lawsuit goes on to state, according to the New York Post, that Ashmawy used his federal position to try and influence local law enforcement and to punish bystanders who claimed they’d intervened on behalf of the women.
Most accusations against Ashmawy stem from a 2015 fight in Pennsylvania. On Valentine’s Day that year, Ashmawy allegedly harassed and assaulted three women in a bar which allegedly led to a physical dispute between Ashmawy, the man suing him and two other men.Â
The lawsuit, filed in September by Greg Martucii claimed that “Ashmawy, who appeared to be visibly intoxicated, then unjustifiably threw and/or pushed [one of the women] down to the floor and/or into the hostess stand…” and alleged that he then assaulted another woman.Â
As The Post notes, Ashmawy was never arrested or charged for the incident. However, Martucci and two other men who said they intervened on behalf of the women faced assault charges. According to the lawsuit, Ashmawy “falsely claimed that Plaintiff and one to two other men assaulted him, choked him, threw him to the ground, and kicked him…[He] falsely claimed that he lost sight in one eye and suffered fractures.”
In response, Ashmawy told Foreign Policy, “To be clear, I did not harass anyone that evening, physically or verbally. To the contrary, I was the victim of a wholly unprovoked assault for which those responsible were investigated, arrested and charged. Any allegation to the contrary is unequivocally false.”
Ashmawy’s official title is the staff director and chief counsel of the Office of Congressional Ethics. This position includes oversight of recent investigations into sexual misconduct allegations against members of congress. Additional cases he was involved with included the investigations in John Conyers that resulted in the Michigan representative stepping down.Â
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