U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, a West New York Republican who was indicted last week of rubbing a woman’s back under pressure and disconnecting her bra without her consent in 2017, apologized to the woman on Sunday and announced she would not run for re-election next year.
Reed, 49, said in a statement that the incident involving then-lobbyist Nicolette Davis occurred “at a time in my life when I was struggling.” He said he started treatment that year and realized he was “helpless by alcohol.”
Reed apologized to his wife and children, and to Davis, and said he planned to “dedicate my time and attention to correcting my past actions.”
Reed, who was first elected to Congress in 2010, had been one of members of Congress calling for the resignation of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on charges of sexual harassment. In late February, Reed said he was seriously considering running for government against Cuomo in case the Democrat seeks a fourth term next year.
Reed said in his statement Sunday that he would not seek any elective office in 2022.
The announcement came two days after the Washington Post reported the allegations of Davis, who was 25 and a lobbyist for insurer Aflac when he said Reed, sitting next to him at a Minneapolis bar, went he took off his bra from the blouse and moved his hand to her thigh.
“A drunken congressman is rubbing my back,” he texted a colleague from Aflac that evening and later added, “HELP HELP.”
Reed issued a statement Friday saying, “This account of my actions is not accurate.”
In his statement on Sunday, he said: “As a reflection, my personal representation of this event is irrelevant. In short, my behavior caused him pain, showed him disrespect, and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I’m sorry, and I take full responsibility. ”
Reed, a former mayor of Corning, New York, is co-chair of the House of Representatives bipartisan problem-solving caucus.
He voted against ousting former President Donald Trump in January, but voted in favor of certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election.