For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.
If there’s one thing Gov. Josh Shapiro should have learned from his investigation of sexual abuse in Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses, it’s that private allegations of sexual misconduct will always come to light. That’s what makes his administration’s handling of detailed sexual harassment claims against longtime aide and cabinet member Mike Vereb so surprising, and disappointing.
For the sake of his administration’s credibility, and his own personal credibility, Mr. Shapiro must come clean about his knowledge of claims against Mr. Vereb. This begins with the February 2023 allegations now being reported, but must include any others in the two men’s longstanding professional partnership.
This episode also demonstrates the weakness of protections for victims of sexual harassment in state government, and in the Governor’s Office in particular. The state needs to create an independent agency to which victims can appeal, and stronger protections that ensure complainants aren’t forced to choose between working with their harassers and resigning their posts.
Bad choices
At no point since Mr. Vereb’s alleged harassment took place has the administration made the right choices — a striking departure for a governor who has emphasized competence, compassion and respect for the rule of law.
The complainant’s report, submitted to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission in late May, presents a detailed and compelling account of Mr. Vereb’s conduct in late February, including suggesting sexual acts in his office, losing his temper at being rejected and retaliating by inventing “performance concerns” about the victim. The complaint further alleges that the victim addressed her concerns about Mr. Vereb to other Shapiro aides, without success. She claims one of those aides pressured her to resign.
The report describes a pattern of behavior that should be familiar to Mr. Shapiro, because he made national headlines for investigating it in church bureaucracies: decisions made to preserve the reputations of the powerful at the expense of the powerless, and of justice.
As soon as administration officials determined the allegations against Mr. Vereb were credible, Mr. Shapiro should have suspended him and announced an independent investigation.
The administration had another opportunity — not to correct this error, but to make a better choice — as it became clear members of the media were homing in on the Vereb accusations. But last week, Mr. Shapiro and his team continued to obscure the truth.
The administration allowed Mr. Vereb to resign, and even praised his “decades-long record of working across the aisle to get things done.” While there are ongoing investigations that may require the administration’s discretion, no one forced them to applaud Mr. Vereb on his way out.
Bipartisan blame
While there is currently a single allegation against Mr. Vereb, it is hard to believe it will stay that way. The brazenness of the alleged conduct; the lack of public support from his longtime colleagues; and the pervasive culture of sexual license and misogyny in Harrisburg all point toward a broader scandal.
This potentially spells more trouble for Mr. Shapiro — but also for leading Republicans. Mr. Vereb served as a Republican state representative from 2006 to 2016, and as chair of the Montgomery County Republican Party. If public scrutiny uncovers a long-term pattern of misconduct, it will be clear GOP officials looked the other way, as well.
It is an indictment of Pennsylvania’s political class that bipartisan political calculations might continue to protect Mr. Vereb.
Since 2016, however, Mr. Vereb has been attached at the hip to Josh Shapiro. Mr. Vereb served as Mr. Shapiro’s government affairs director during his tenure as Attorney General, and as the governor’s Secretary of Legislative Affairs and lead budget negotiator. If Mr. Vereb has harassed other women, it would be very unlikely reports did not reach Mr. Shapiro’s desk.
Making amends
There is no way to recover the loss of time, professional standing and peace of mind incurred by Mr. Vereb’s alleged victim. But the Shapiro administration can take decisive action now — to dissipate the cloud that now hangs over the governor and, more importantly, to protect employees in the future. He will take a political hit, but save bigger ones later on.
It’s an iron law: Further attempts to hide the truth, besides being wrong in themselves, will backfire. Mr. Shapiro will serve the people — and himself — best by publicly acknowledging, to the greatest extent possible, the truth about Mr. Vereb’s conduct and reputation, from the beginning of his time in Harrisburg through today. In so doing, he will model the accountability he has demanded of other institutions.
It’s also clear current policies in the governor’s office, and across state government, favor harassers over victims. Former Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2021 executive order states that officials “under the Governor’s jurisdiction may not tolerate sexual harassment,” but only calls for vague policies and discipline.
The Governor’s Office’s 2012 guidelines prescribe an internal investigation for harassment claims, but this is clearly insufficient, especially when the alleged harasser is a powerful public official. These lengthy investigations force victims to make an impossible choice between working with their harassers or leaving their posts, as Mr. Vereb’s alleged victim did.
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC), which is tasked with investigating and resolving discrimination and harassment complaints, is located within the Governor’s Office — the same office that failed to protect an alleged victim it its midst. The Shapiro administration can show it has learned from its mistakes by setting up an independent board to investigate harassment and discrimination in state government offices.
This moment may well be an early turning point in the Shapiro administration. Which way it goes, however, is up to the governor.
First Published: October 5, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
